Betty Hurst Alexander

Betty Lou Hurst Alexander passed away on Monday, March 7, 2016 in Houston, TX at the age of 82. She was born on February 10, 1934, in Smackover, Arkansas, to Jack Edward and Era McNeill Hurst. She is survived by her daughter, Stacy; son, Clay; daughter-in-law, Jill; and grandchildren, Bailey, Savannah, Taryn and Grayson Alexander.

Betty grew up in Camden, Arkansas and then moved to Bastrop, Louisiana in 1946. She attended Northwestern State College in Natchitoches, Louisiana where she was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and Nu Sigma and Pi Omega honor societies.

She moved to Houston in 1954 to become an executive secretary. The company asked her to move to New York in 1959 for a temporary, one-year assignment and she happily agreed, looking forward to experiencing life in the big apple.

The company begged Betty to stay in New York for another year but after that she returned to Houston in 1961, where she met the love of her life, William Alexander at Houston’s First Baptist Church. At the time, Bill was considered to be the most eligible bachelor and the only single deacon at church.

On October 13, 1962 Bill and Betty were married at First Baptist downtown. Stacy was born in1964 and Clay in 1969. Soon after Clay was born, the family left Houston for a brief 2-year work-related stint in Algiers, Algeria. When they returned to the United States, they lived in Plano, Texas, for 4 years and returned home to Houston in 1976.

Betty loved the Lord and spent her life serving Him in various church ministries at both the downtown campus and the loop. Betty volunteered in the preschool department, was the director of the 4th grade children’s department for over 20 years, sang in the choir, served on various committees and worked in the church business office. Once her health began to decline, she continued to minister to the widows of the church by sending each of them a personalized birthday card each year.

The family would like to thank everyone who has been helpful in Betty's care over the years: Dr. Mahdi Al-Bassam, Dr. Ahmed Amine, Dr. Justin Saunders, the nurses and aides at St. Luke’s at the Vintage, Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute, the caregivers at Brookdale Willowbrook and the team at Angelus Home Health Agency.

Honorary Pallbearers for today’s service are friends from the 42 group, a dominos group from church, that Mom and Dad played with for over 40 years. Pallbearers are Bill Neighbors, Dewayne Ashdown, Rodger Reynolds, Drew Walters, Tad Griffin and Bevan Blackwood II.

Visitation will be at Earthman Funeral Home at 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024 on Thursday, March 10th from 5 – 8 PM. Interment will be at the Houston National Cemetery at 10710 Veterans Memorial Drive, at 9 AM on Friday, March 11. The memorial service will follow at 11 AM at Houston’s First Baptist Church located at 7401 Katy Freeway. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Houston’s First Baptist Church – Pastoral Care Ministry, 7401 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024.