Persis Norwood Betts passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 25th, at the age of 98 at Hillside Nursing Center in Wake Forest. Persis was born on July 15, 1925 to parents Ruth and Joseph Hayden Norwood and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She was married in September of 1949 and moved to Appalachian, NY, where her daughter was born in March of 1958. Four years later she and her family moved to Endicott, NY and from there moved to Raleigh, NC in 1965.
Persis was a woman with places to go and people to see. When her daughter, Andrea, was young she enjoyed being an active school volunteer and Girl Scout troop leader. In 1984 she started work at the North Carolina Bar Association and worked there until the impressive age of 83 because she loved all the conversations she got to have with new people every day. After retirement, it wouldn’t be unusual to find her driving around Raleigh in her “wheels” as she went off to visit one of her many, many friends for lunch.
Persis could identify any flower or foliage put in front of her, and loved being a member of her garden club. She was an avid reader, had a large collection of beautiful teacups, and never found a pair of shoes that wasn’t calling her name. She was the consummate hostess and held many themed parties with unique decorations. She also loved being a member of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and the community she found there.
She is survived by her beloved family: daughter, Andrea Parrish (Jerry) of Rochester, Minnesota; granddaughters, Emily Parrish of Rochester, Minnesota and Amanda Prince (Tim) of Minneapolis, Minnesota; great-granddaughters, Luca Prince and Rowan Prince of Minneapolis, Minnesota; nephew Eric Thomas (Sally) and nieces Liz Harrigan (John) and Marilyn Heinrichs (Jack) and all their children. She was preceded in death by her parents Ruth and Joseph Hayden Norwood and her sister, Marjorie Thomas.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 4801 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC, on Saturday, May 11th at 2:00 PM with a short reception after the service. Family requests that attendees wear blue in honor of Persis’s favorite color.
Persis lived by the motto “brighten the corner where you are,” and anyone who met her knew how true that statement was. Whether it was helping people for 24 years through her job at the North Carolina Bar Association, volunteering with Meals on Wheels, or simply chatting with the neighbor down the street, she brought a smile to anyone’s face who knew her. Her light will always linger with those who loved her.
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