Betty F. Brice

Elisabeth Derry Ferguson Brice ("Betty"), 97, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2017 at Kirkwood-by-the-River in Birmingham, Alabama. Betty was born on July 3, 1919, in Auburndale, Massachusetts to Florence Harris and Carl Butler Ferguson. She attended schools in Auburndale and Newton, Massachusetts, and, because of her love of dance, chose to attend Gulf Park College in Gulfport, Mississippi, where she majored in dance. After college, Betty pursued further dance studies in New York City and later opened her own ballet studio in Cohasset, Massachusetts. While Betty and friends were entertaining troops at nearby Weymouth Naval Base, she met a young lieutenant, Houston Allen Brice, Jr., from Birmingham, Alabama. They married in June of 1943 at the home of Houston's parents in Birmingham, and he left soon after for deployment at Kaneohe Naval Base, Hawaii. The wartime separation was difficult for them both, but Houston's parents, Earlyne and Houston Brice, warmly welcomed their new daughter-in-law to Birmingham and Betty quickly adopted her new hometown. After the war, Houston and Betty settled permanently in Birmingham where Houston joined his father's construction business, Brice Building Company. Betty and Houston were blessed with four children during their sixty-two years of marriage. Betty devoted herself to her family and her children and their many activities and friends. Known for her indomitable spirit, Betty was a supportive wife and travel partner to Houston in his business and nonprofit interests, and together they enjoyed many happy gatherings with their wide circle of close friends and neighbors. She was a longtime member of Independent Presbyterian Church, the Linly Heflin Unit, and the Junior League of Birmingham, served as a director of Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital, and was an active volunteer for Alzheimer's of Central Alabama. Betty took great delight in being "Nana" to her nine grandchildren, keeping up with their interests and achievements and showing a sincere interest in each of them as they grew up. Though busy raising their family, Betty was closely involved with dance in Birmingham from the time she arrived, in the early years as a dance teacher with the Birmingham Civic Ballet, and later as a founding board member and board chair of the Alabama Ballet, serving as Trustee Emeritus until her death. She continued to advocate for professional dancers and ballet education throughout her life and was a tireless promoter of the Alabama Ballet Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to dancers with the Alabama Ballet. In 1998, Betty worked with author Barbara Sloan to publish the book, "Barefoot Among the Thorns: The Story of Dance in Birmingham," chronicling the colorful history of dance in Birmingham and raising support for the Scholarship Fund. Betty was predeceased by her husband, Houston; her parents; and her sister, Shirley Ferguson Neer. Survivors include children: Derry Brice Bunting (Peter), Nancy Brice Komatsu (Karl), Houston Brice III (Ann), and Shirley Brice Elliott (George); nine grandchildren, Lisa Bunting Howard (Harrison), Virginia Bunting, Allen Bunting Mann (Jeff), Mary Douglas Bunting, Brice Komatsu, Christopher Komatsu, George Elliott III, Elisabeth Elliott, and Stephen Elliott; ten great-grandchildren: Ginnylu, Daisy and Bunt Howard; Sofie, Willa and Grace Crescenzi; Nathan, Mia and Pepper Mann; and Logan Bunting; and nieces and nephew: Susan Neer Weisenfluh, Elisabeth Ferguson Neer, and Frank Neer (Judy) and their daughter, Jenna Neer. The family expresses heartfelt gratitude to our team of devoted caregivers, Charonda Clark, Michelle Wright, Brenda Beard, Kendra Bouyer, Iris Moore, and Clint Stinson of Southern Care Hospice for their loving and attentive care of our Mother during these last years. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24 at Independent Presbyterian Church with visitation in the church parlor following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Alabama Ballet, 2726 1st Avenue South, Birmingham, or Independent Presbyterian Church, 3100 Highland Avenue, Birmingham, Al 35205

Arrangements under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel, Homewood, AL.