Bettie Joe Manning

Bettie Joe was born on March 7, 1926, in Farmerville, Louisiana, Union Parrish to the union of Freddie Manning and Ida Brown. Her mother died in childbirth. Her father, Freddie married Bessie Taylor Manning and fathered five children: Dessie, twin-brother Jessie, Nell, Matthew and Dorothy. Bettie was called home peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, August 28, 2016, She accepted Christ at a young age in Louisiana, and grew up in a warm , loving southern community with her family. After her schooling, Bettie met, fell in love and married George Allen Carr, and a son, George Earl Carr was born on December 7, 1944 to their union. There were many challenges of a young family living in Louisiana during this time. Bettie’s outgoing and adventurous spirit led her to seek a better life for her and her young son when she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1945. Bettie spent many years in search of the right career for herself, when she decided to move to Los Angeles with her son and to continue her education. She attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College for nursing. She pursued a career as a nurse at the Los Angeles County General Hospital for many years. Bettie later transitioned from nursing into Social Services for the County of Los Angeles. She enjoyed er time working for DPSS, excelled at her job, made many friends and retired after 30 years of service in 1994. Bettie loved life, her family, her friends and God. She was a spiritual woman, and an active member of the Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church of Los Angeles. She loved to travel and spent many weekends going to Las Vegas to visit friends with her grandson Jerald. She has crisscrossed the U.S. and recently travelled to the east coast, Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston and Philly with Gloria, Betsy and Carol. Europe was the highlight a couple years ago when she and the girls visited Rome, Paris, Pompeii, Venice, Switzerland and the Greek Isles. Bettie was an avid walker and maintained her slim, trim body by walking 2-3 miles every day. She had to walk in those four-inch boots of hers, you see. She was stylish and wore her clothes like a model, “always well put together”. Shopping at Nordstrom’s was her favorite thing to do. She loved to eat. Her favorite was ham, yams and cheesecake. Of course, she hated vegetables, except collard greens. She was an extremely independent woman and stubborn about giving up driving and her Lexus, even after she had several car accidents and totaled her car all in the same year. She of course, blamed the accidents on the car and threatened to sue the car manufacturer for the mechanical failures. Bettie was very close to her son, and only child George, of whom she loved very much. She was extremely proud of his accomplishments achieving a Master’s degree from Oregon State University and of his chosen profession of Probation Officer for young men with Los Angeles County Probation Department. She shared a very special bond with her grandson, Jerald. Bettie was exuberant that her had excelled in his education, as well, achieving his bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Psychology. Jerald’s friends were her friends, as everyone lovingly called her “Grandma Bettie”. Jerald spent many years being her confidant and devoted companion as her unselfishly cared for her every need and desire until her passing. Bettie’s beloved parents, Freddie manning and Ida Brown; her husband, George Allen; brothers, Maxwell and MacArthur preceded her in death. Bettie leaves to cherish her memories: son, George Earl, his wife Susan of Houston, Texas; grandsons, Dr. Jerald Wayne Carr, Phd. And Jason Carr, and his wife Tamara; granddaughters, Tonya Carr-Owens, and her husband, Keith and Sarah Carr; great-grandchildren, Devon Carr, Cole Carr, Kyle Owens, and Trevor Owens; her sisters, Dessie, Nell and Dorothy; brothers. Jessie and Matthew; nieces, Iva Roberts and Lennie Carr; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and an endless myriad of friends, former co-workers and loved ones from all over the country. Bettie smiled easily, and had a hearty laugh. She was direct and spoke her mind unapologetically. She was a beautiful human being with compassion and love for all. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, auntie and devoted herself to family and was a fun –loving friend. She lived a blessed life and will be missed forever.