Betty Gentry Stiles, 91, passed away on May 25, 2018 in Houston, Texas, with her daughter, Cory, by her side. Betty was the middle daughter of Blanche Crews Gentry and Gaines Radford Gentry, born in Savannah, Georgia on March 1, 1927. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her sisters, Harriet Gentry Neumann and Pat Gentry Samuelson.
After graduating from high school in El Campo, Texas in 1945, Betty moved to Houston, where she lived for over 70 years. She married Jack Stiles 1n 1946. She did clerical work for the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sherriff’s Department, Jimmie Green Chevrolet, and several photo engraving companies. She was finally able to take classes to develop artistic skills in the 1970s. Her oil paintings have received recognition. She loved to paint animals and many of her works hung in her daughter’s veterinary clinic.
Betty loved to travel and visited many places around the world. She saw the sun rise from a hot air balloon in Kenya, attended the Moscow Circus, enjoyed the unique creatures in the Galapagos Islands, saw the Sistine Chapel, and saw the tulips in The Netherlands. She often created paintings that were inspired by the things she saw on her journeys. Betty was passionate about opera. She had season tickets for the Houston Grand Opera for many years.
Her Christian faith was the foundation of her life. Betty wasn’t shy about speaking of it with family, friends, and strangers.
Betty is survived by her daughter, Cory E Stiles DVM, her nieces, Darcy Gunter and Carey Neumann, nephews, Mark Neumann, Michael Neumann, and Matt Neumann, and extended family. She was lovingly cared for by the memory care staff at Brookdale Tanglewood, and the family wishes to thank them for enriching her life. Betty will be missed by many friends and companions.
In lieu of flowers, donations made be made in Betty’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org.
For full obituary, please visit www.earthmanhunterscreek.com .
