Bettye June Tidd

Graveside service will be held 11:30 A.M., Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at Georgia National Cemetery with the Rev. Bryant Harris officiating.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, 732 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30318-6628.

Mrs. Tidd was born March 14, 1938 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to the late Grady and Bessie Ione Jacks Edwards.

Survivors include her husband, John F. Tidd, Acworth, Georgia; one daughter, Kimberly Ione Browning, Acworth, Georgia one son, Steve W. Tidd, Cumming, Georgia; sister-in-law, Del Edwards, Mansfield, Texas; grandchildren, Kyle and Ryan Tidd, Kaylee All, and Joshua Browning;

Tidd Bits from Bettye

Growing up in rural Arkansas near Pine Bluff, I became very involved in the 4-H Club. At the age of 9 I entered the County Dress Revue and won my first of many blue ribbons for a dress that I made from a feed sack and a pattern my mother had designed. That single feat sealed my fate and became the focus of my life's career. I participated in every project available and at the age of 15 became the youngest ever State Cloting winner. It was exciting for a poor country girl that had never been more than 25 miles from home to receive a trip to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago, Illinois, but was sad my mother had died two months earlier of a sudden heart attack at the age of 38. She was a great seamstress and an excellent cook so it was natural that my interests grew along those lines.. That same year I also placed in the top10 at the State Baking Competition. My dad always teased me when I practiced for the baking contests (you had to make biscuits) because the biscuits had to be a certain size and he liked the large boarding house size. After receiving my BSHE degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I accepted a position with the University and the US Department of Agriculture as Assistant Home-Demonstration Agent in Phillips County and a year later became the agent in Perry County. Shortly after, love entered the picture and I married a Yankee (John Tidd) that was with the army chemical warfare group stationed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in my home county. Fifty years ago an agent was not allowed to work in their home county so I resigned and taught school on the base until John returned to his position with General Motors in Janesville, Wisconsin. A couple of years later he was selected to join a design group to build a new assembly plant. That move took us to Detroit, Michigan for 6 months and then on to Ohio for final design and construction of the Lordstown GM Assembly Plant. We lived in Canfield where we raised our two children, Steve and Kimberley. After they entered school I accepted a position as Home-Economics teacher at the new Lordstown High School. Another promotion brought John to Atlanta as Director of Engineering for the General Motors Assembly Plant at Lakewood. After his early retirement we moved to Raleigh, North carolina where John worked on a special assignment for Bandag, a rubber company in Oxford. Eight years later both children had married and were living in the Atlanta area so we decided to return. We settled in Canton and once again began to landscape and finish the terrace level of our new home. Six years later we got the itch to do it again. After finding a lot in Acworth we started on our dream house with gourmet kitchen and keeping room. John finished the terrace level complete with a full kitchen. With our home completed, it was finally time for me to get serious about my dream of writing a cookbook. We had always done a lot of entertaining and I had collected recipes along the way so just sorting through, selecting and typing was a huge task. My knowledge of computers consisted of being able to turn it on, click on Free Cell, play and turn it off. This project has been very difficult and frustrating at times, but always rewarding and even fun. Each recipe from a friend has been a trip down memory lane. With Audrey and Joan helping with the final proofing I have been able to publish not one, but three cookbooks. Tidd Bites I - Beginning and Ending contains over 415 recipes for Appetizers and Beverages. Tidd Bites II - The Big Three contains over 190 recipes for Soups, Salads, Sandwiches and Breads. Tidd Bites III - Major Fare and Sides contains over 360 recipes for Meats, Poultry, Seafood, Eggs, Casseroles, Pasta, Rice and Vegetables. I hope you enjoy reading and using the cookbooks as much as I have had doing them.

BETTYE

Acworth, GA

Mrs Bettye June Edwards Tidd, 75 years young, of Acworth, Georgia passed to a better place on October 18, 2013. She was at home when she died and was laid to rest at Georgia National Cemetery on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.

Bettye was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and was survived by her husband John; son, Steve; and daughter, Kimberly Browning. She was blessed with five grandchildren.

Bettye’s life was filled with many passions that were fueled by being very active in her 4-H Club and the activities that were available to her. At the early age of 9 she entered the County Dress Revue and won her first of many blue ribbons for a dress that she made; it was designed by her mother and made from a feed sack. She followed by entering every contest available and at the age of 15 became the youngest ever State Clothing winner, she won a trip to Chicago to the National 4-H Congress. Her skills at baking also were rewarded in county and state contests. After getting her high school diploma in Pine Bluff, AR she followed her education with a BSHE degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I am sure you can guess that her career after graduation was with several counties as Assistant Home Demonstration Agent and then a year later the Agent in Perry County for the Dept/of Agriculture.

Her career took a big turn when she met and married a Yankee stationed at the Pine Bluff Arsenal and her talents in cooking, sewing etc. were put to good use. She taught school as the years past and family needs grew less demanding. She accepted challenges along the way when offered setting up a new Home Economic Dept at a new school in Ohio where we lived and enjoyed participating as president in several of the cities that had “NEWCOMER” organizations. Bettye also was an avid bridge player, playing both contract bridge and “fun” bridge with friends. She continued through the years being a great hostess and we enjoyed many holidays entertaining friends and family.

Bettye enjoyed traveling and decided that we would take the children by car to various places of interest in all the contiguous 48 states; this was accomplished in 5 years. Also her dream was to write a cook book. She finalized this project with 4 volumes, breaking each one into food groups and doing all of the organizing, layout and printing with no help.

She will be missed by all that new her.

Bettye June Tidd