Betty Wilson Guin

Betty Ruth (Wilson) Guin was born on March 21, 1929 in McGhee, Arkansas as the only child of Warney James Wilson (who had a career in life insurance) and Ruth Sanders Wilson (who had a life in homemaking as a highly skilled seamstress, home chef, and gardener).

Betty left this world on June 11, 2023, aged 94. In leaving this world, she leaves a legacy through her three living children, JoAnn Grear (Gary), Susan Gatten, and James Guin (Deanna); her six grandchildren, Matthew Grear (Mariangeles), Mary Elizabeth Blythe (Jeremy), Julia Gatten (Jason), Shiloh Guin, Ginger Guin, and Madison Guin; her four great grandchildren, Titus, Maddie Grace, Noelle and Joseph Blythe; and her beloved cousins, Jimmy (Martha Ann) Barrett and George (Peggy) Goodwin. Betty’s legacy will disclose itself through countless moments.

It will disclose itself in the moments that we encounter the objects Betty perfected and crafted. These are the bridal and recital ensembles that she tailored, the costumes and curtains she expertly sewed, and the heirlooms she hand-painted and cross-stitched for three generations of her family. These are the handwritten calendars she rewrote annually, where she meticulously documented birthdays and anniversaries. And, these are the hand-painted rural scenes, the precisely cut paper-angel ornaments, and the seasonal quilts she crafted—testaments of her artistic ability that she modestly referred to as the result of hobbies.

Her legacy will disclose itself in the moments that we attempt to replicate the magic Betty made. This magic appeared in her nurturing of others, which grew out of the wisdom of her own mother and developed through her professional nursing training—training which began at the tender age of 17 at Mercy Hospital in New Orleans and continued on 6 Main and at Baptist Hospital. It appeared in the unrepeatable milkshakes she mixed in her ancient, herculean blender and in the Sunday roasts she prepared following Sunday service. And yet, her own service continued after Sunday service, as she traced and retraced the passages of her well-worn Bible, both patiently teaching this scripture to her children and living this scripture in her commitment to visiting those not well or able-bodied, to offering relief to new mothers and blind elders, and to sharing from her garden, table, and heart.

This legacy will disclose itself in the moments we sort through the experiences Betty captured on film and paper. These experiences are found in images of her cross-country travels in cars, in campers of full of boisterous children, and in small planes, which she navigated (as she navigated everything else) with strength, skill, and a series of spelling errors. These experiences are not only found in images of her cross-country travels, but of her cross-country moves, as she migrated from Greenville to New Orleans to Memphis to New Jersey to Atlanta, and finally back to Memphis. And, these experiences are found in the loving footnotes in her handwritten recipe book, which recounts the oatmeal cookies she ate as a child and the lemon ice box pie her mother taught her to make—and which she made for her husband, Winford H. “Win” Guin, again and again over the course of their 66-year marriage.

Her legacy will disclose itself in the moments we look for and find Betty as an exemplar of love. This is a love of longevity that exceeded the duration of her six-decade marriage to Win, whose voice she left on the answering machine that rested by his empty armchair for six years after his passing. This is a love of sincere forgiveness that overlooked minor fibs, “unbecoming” hemlines and haircuts, tattle-telling and tattoos, and that, in instances of significant lapses of judgment, erased shame and preserved human dignity.

Lastly, her legacy will disclose itself in the moments we remember Betty in conversation and in silence. This was conversation that moved in the rhythm of breathing shared between two people, where the pauses gave her opportunities to bless and encourage. This was silence of the early morning, when she sipped instant coffee and selected pieces from the newspaper she knew others would enjoy. And, it was the silence of a deep benevolence that did not pronounce itself but that you could catch only in special instances, like when you found Betty at dawn in the garden in her night gown, placing matted hair from her hairbrush onto the damp grass “for the birds to take to build their own homes.”

Betty has left this legacy as she has left this world to join her parents, her husband Win Guin, and two of her five children, Charles Guin and Rudessa Guin. Her life will be celebrated at Memphis Funeral Home on Friday, June 16 with a visitation at 10:00 a.m. and a service following at 11:00 a.m.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralPoplar.com for the Guin family.