Elizabeth McCafferty Applin

Elizabeth ""Betty"" Applin, who spent her life caring for and inspiring others, died Sunday, December 8, 2013. She was 86. She and her husband, Harold Applin Sr., had nine children of their own, but they also made room in their family for foster children, international exchange students and other young people in need of a safe and loving place. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Welfare from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1977. In her career as a social worker, she helped people who were poor and those who were developmentally or physically disabled. After she retired, she continued to work as a volunteer with people in need. The number of lives she touched cannot be counted. A devout Catholic, she never hesitated to question social injustice in her community or even in her faith. She enjoyed vigorous debate and was always prepared to discuss the news of the day. She also lived her beliefs, engaging in civic life and sharing her wisdom and experience. During the most recent U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan she flew her American Flag upside down - the international symbol of distress – to clearly demonstrate that the country she loved was doing something she could not support. Betty was born in Philadelphia, Pa., and spent many years in Hammond, La. before moving to Baton Rouge. She is survived by all her children: Stewart of Oakland, Calif.; John and his wife, Kathy, of Arundel, Maine; Harry and his wife, Anne, of N. Waterboro, Maine; Bob of E. Waterboro, Maine; Mike and his wife, Melissa, of Baton Rouge; Mary Beth of Clinton, Miss.; Frank and his wife, Janet, of Gladstone, Va.; Peter and his wife, Claire, of Spring, Texas; and Edith Cutrer and her husband, Jeff, of Livingston. She also is survived by her sister Sue Friel, her sister-in-law Regina McCafferty and 15 grandchildren: Ryan, Kelly, Eric, Zach, Matthew, Phillip, Samantha, Michael, Stephanie, Sylvia, Courtney Applin, Christopher, Candice, Joshua and Courtney Cutrer. She was preceded in death by her husband and by her brother John McCafferty. Visitation will be held at Greenoaks Funeral Home on Thursday, Dec. 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitation will resume Friday, Dec. 13 at St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church at 9:30 am until Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am. She will be buried beside her husband at Port Hudson National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to the Harry Applin Memorial Scholarship in Nursing at Southeastern Louisiana University: Southeastern Foundation SLU Box 10703 Hammond, LA 70402.