Martha Elizabeth "Betty" Bentley Howard

Martha Elizabeth (Betty) Bentley Howard of Birmingham was born on April 7, 1925 and passed away on December 24, 2019. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, and dearly-loved grandmother (Dabba). She was born to Lula Ellard Bentley and William Carey Bentley and was a life-long resident of Birmingham. She spent her younger years growing up in the community of Avondale where she would ride “Miss Fancy” in the city zoo at Avondale Park. She graduated from Woodlawn High School and Judson College where she majored in math. She worked briefly at AT&T in the late 40’s before becoming a full-time Mother in 1951.

She was a member of different community and civic groups and a member of South Avondale Baptist Church where her grandfather served as pastor and her mother was organist for many years. She loved working with children in Vacation Bible School and with girls in the GA missions program. In later years, she was a member of Mountain Brook Baptist where she enjoyed singing with the Mellow Brook Singers and was a member of the Hope Sunday School Class.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Aubrey Elton Howard, her son, Carey Elton Howard, and nephew, Jerry H. Bentley (Carol Mon Lee). Her brother, William Carey Bentley, Jr. (Billie) of Chattanooga, Tennessee also passed away on December 24, 2019. She is survived by her daughter, Melinda Howard Dressler (Ralph) and daughter-in-law, Jane Patton Howard; granddaughters, Elizabeth Howard Yarbrough (Peyton), Caroline Howard Vaughn (Joey), Sarah Howard Crabb (Brent), Emily Dressler Simmons (Paul); and grandson, Lee Howard Dressler. She is also survived by four great grandchildren; William Carey Crabb, David Brent Crabb, Virginia Patton Yarbrough, and Leila Jane Vaughn; nephews, Murry Bentley (Linda) and Larry Bentley (Caroline), and other cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at Mountain Brook Baptist Church with visitation at beginning at 10:00 AM at the church. Private burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Fountain of Love fund at Fairhaven (1424 Montclair Road, Birmingham, AL 35210) or Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama (P. O. Box 2273, Birmingham, AL 35201).

We are thankful for the friends in the ACTIVE Christian Living Ministry at MBBC and also the friends in the Brookwood Baptist Church Flower Ministry who visited her often while at Fairhaven. A special thank-you also goes to the entire Fairhaven community and specifically the SCALF household. Their love and care will always be remembered.