Betty Garrison

Betty was born on May 1st, 1940 in Texarkana, Arkansas to Mabel Griffin Durham and Frank Durham. She didn’t have much, as she was raised during the Great Depression, and times were hard, but she always made it clear that The Lord provided just what she needed and she never went without.

Betty grew up a member of Pleasant Hill, a church that was Baptist one week and Methodist the next, and she attributed her early faith formation to the years she spent learning from different religions. She truly believed the lord took care of her family, and they knew what they should believe and believed what the lord wanted them to. It was at Pleasant Hill where she decided she wanted to spend her life being a “sunbeam for Jesus,” and a sunbeam she was!

She met Gary (Butch) Garrison at her sister’s wedding in 1957 where he walked her down the aisle, and he never stopped walking by her side from that day on until the day she died. Butch to this day tells the story of how he winked at Betty the night they met and she winked back. Betty took to her grave that she did NOT wink back, but we’d all like to imagine that she is winking at him now from Heaven. They married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Texarkana, Texas in 1960. Together they raised 3 beautiful children, Fr Matt Garrison, Colette Lee (Ron), and Connie Inman (Ivan). They had 13 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mabel Durham; her siblings, Floyd Durham, Frank Durham Jr., Helen Wiley, Frances Johnson, Josephine Cigainero, Lenda Denney, and George Durham; and her great-granddaughter, Savannah Rayne Inman.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Gary “Butch” Garrison; her sister, Ruth Obar, her daughters, Colette Lee and her husband, Ron Lee, and Connie Inman and her husband, Ivan Inman; and her son, Father Matt Garrison

She is also survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including Seth Lee, Taylor Lee, and their children, Sagan and Toren; Caleb Lee and his daughter, Jemma; Constance Elmore and her husband, Kent Elmore, and their children, Finnlee and Summit; and Naomi Cox and her husband, Boone Cox, and their daughters, Beckham and Bennett.

Through her daughter Connie and son-in-law Ivan, she is survived by Jesse Inman and his wife, Angela, and their daughters, Luanna and Violet; Wendy Tinio and her husband, Chris, and their children, Charlotte, Theo, Joslyn, and Genevieve; James Inman and his wife, Ellyn, and their children, Mady, Leo, and Pax; Audrey Inman and her fiancé, Steven, and her children, Bentley, Beau, and Gianna; Lucy Malone and her husband, Jay, and their children, Peyton, Jasmine, Nolan, and Quinley; Andrew Inman; Rosemary Bellamy and her husband, Wesley, and their daughter, Marren; Emma Inman; and Abigail Derr and her husband, Michael, and their son Killian.

She is also survived by Matt Garrison and his dog, Cletus.

Betty deeply loved the Lord and her family. She joined the Catholic Church in November 1971, but it wasn’t until she attended Cursillo in 1974 and sat at the table of St Anne, that she fell deeply in love with her Catholic faith. She was so proud of all 3 of her children and her many grandchildren for attending Cursillo and her prayer was that all her grandchildren and great grandchildren would attend Cursillo as well. She truly believed God has a place for everybody, and we don’t know what His will is or where He wants us to be but that we all just have to have our hearts and heads and mind open to what the Holy Spirit wants to give us.

Betty was intentional about everything she did and everything she said. Her children and grandchildren often joke about grandmas quirks, but she truly had a reason behind everything that she did.

She had a beautiful sense of humor and would constantly make her family laugh intentionally and unintentionally, whether through her beautiful gift of storytelling, by putting newspaper under the grandkids, great grandkids and even her son in law, Ron when they ate, or cheating at dominos and dirty marbles. She’d always giggle when she made her grandkids laugh and when she did, she’d get this sparkle in her blue eyes (that Butch swears are hazel, but he’s color blind).

In her last days, she was still caring for the people she loved, as she had her whole life. She was making sure everyone had enough to eat, and that Butch knew her cleaning routine and the girls knew not to burn the cookies. She spent time reminiscing on her favorite memories of her childhood, taking her daughters camping and Butch carrying them in when they’d fall asleep, and her rides from Malvern to Our Lady of Fatima school with Matt. She told Butch she had a wonderful week and what a gift from God it was to spend her last moments with her family. She truly loved her family more than anything in this world and it was important to her that her children, and their spouses and all the grandchildren knew just how much she loved them. She always believed nothing compared to family.

The Garrison family would like to especially thank her hospice nurses who took such good care of her in the end, especially Abby. She was the most compassionate nurse they could have asked for.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Betty Garrison on Saturday, August 22 at 11 am in the parish center at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1301 Frank St. Barling AR 72923. Mass will be preceded by a visitation beginning at 9:30 am and Rosary at 10:30 am.

Betty, you wanted to spend your life being a sunbeam for Jesus, and now you’re the most beautiful and brightest sunbeam for us all. Continue to look over your family, as our own personal saint in heaven. DeColores!

Memorials can be made to the following: Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church Building Fund, 1301 Frank St. Barling, AR 72923, or go to www.shmbarling.org; Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, 900 W Cross St. Benton, AR 72015, or go to www.olfbenton.org; St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl. Memphis, TN 38105, or go to www.stjude.org, or the Archdiocese for Military Services, 1025 Michigan Ave NE. Washington DC 20017, or go to www.milarch.org.