Betty Jo Sweatt

Betty Jo Phillips Sweatt, longtime Anniston, AL and Birmingham, AL resident, died on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at the age of 95.  Betty, born on June 25, 1929, in Savannah, GA into a farming family devoted to public (military and law enforcement) service, was reared in the idyllic Liberty County, GA communities of Taylor’s Creek and Hinesville, graduated from Hinesville’s Bradwell Institute in 1946, and attended Statesboro, GA’s Georgia Teachers College (Georgia Southern University) from 1946 - 1949.   She was a devoted homemaker, mother, and grandmother, member of Anniston’s Gladeview Baptist Church and the Society of Military Widows, and known for her quit wit, and love of family and Atlanta Braves baseball

She is preceded in death by her husband of twenty years, Sergeant-Major Tracy Sweatt, Sr., United States Army, beloved parents, Sherriff William Earl and Virginia Martin Phillips, brother, Earl F. Phillips (Wanda), and longtime friend, Herbert Clark. 

She is survived by her four children:  Jan Still of LaFayette, AL, Tracy Sweatt, Jr. (Karen) of Vestavia Hills, AL, Steve Sweatt (Teresa) of Alabaster, AL, and John Sweatt (Betsy) of Shelby, AL.  Surviving grandchildren include Jenn Still Dukes (Jason) of LaFayette, Jared Still of LaFayette, Tracy Sweatt, III (Wendy) of Argo, AL, Diane Sweatt Covin (Mark) of Hoover, AL, Stephanie Sweatt Ledbetter of Calera, AL, Christopher Sweatt of Nashville, TN, Jessica Sweatt of Hoover, John Michael Sweatt (Juliana) of Jemison, AL, and Erica Sweatt of Five Points, AL.  Betty was also the proud great grandmother of thirteen great grandchildren who, in turn, have given birth to three children. 

The family would like to extend thanks to the staffs of Birmingham’s Cahaba Ridge and Somerby at St. Vincent’s 119 retirement communities, and Clanton, AL’s Hatley Health Care for providing Betty with a “home away from home” after her transition from Anniston to Birmingham, and to Hoover’s ExpectCare Hospice for end-of-life care. Special thanks are extended to other family members and friends who have provided support through the years: Jane Phillips Oberti (Ed) of Mooresville, NC, Sherry Sweatt of Hoover, Jackie Sweatt of Birmingham, Jerry Still of LaFayette, Cheryl Shiver of Callahan, FL, Kathy Simpson of Anniston, and Cothee Starr of Vestavia Hills.

Betty was a devoted spouse who supported her husband throughout his military career – one which encompassed deployments at multiple duty stations at home and abroad: Augusta (Ft. Gordon), GA, Orleans, France, Fayetteville (Ft. Bragg), NC, Honolulu (Ft. Shafter), HI, and Anniston (Ft. McClellan), AL.

Visitation is scheduled on Tuesday, June 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Montevallo, AL’s Rockco Funeral Home (3715 AL Hwy. 25, 35115) with memorial service to follow and interment at Montevallo’s Alabama National Cemetery (3133 AL Hwy. 119, 35115), the Reverend Chris Blackwell presiding. Memorial gifts may be made to Charlotte, NC’s Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.