BETTY FITZJERRELL
died peacefully on February 4, 2024, in Bryan, Texas.
Betty was born May 16, 1933, in Morganton, Ark. She was a 60-plusyear member of the Sylvan Hills Church of Christ, where she taught Sunday school classes, worked as the church secretary, and supported the church, its work, and its members in numerous ways. She was known for being incredibly gracious, always showing her gratitude for those around her, including frequently thanking those who helped care for her in her later days. She was a gifted seamstress, who made many of her own clothes and also made beautiful clothing for her daughter, Becky, and her granddaughter, Mary Kathryn. She once spent a week teaching Mary Kathryn to sew, and together, the two of them made a dress Mary Kathryn wore often and proudly. Betty also loved gardening, a hobby she shared with her son, Mark. Even into her 80s, she drove Mark’s riding lawn mower and also rode jet skis with him when she visited him in Texas. She was a surprisingly competitive player of dominos, and she also enjoyed baking, especially with her grandchildren, when they were young. Her breakfasts of scrambled eggs, cooked in bacon drippings, served with biscuits and gravy, were delicious. In later years, she loved watching movies on the Hallmark channel. She is survived by her children, Becky and Mark; Mark’s wife, Teri; her granddaughter, Mary Kathryn, and Mary Kathryn’s husband, Chris Vinyard; as well as her great-grandchildren: Lane Wells (12), Wells Vinyard (10), Beck Vinyard (8), and Mary Coco Vinyard (5). She is reunited in death with her husband, Robert Fitzjerrell; her grandson, George MacFadden (Mac) Wells, Jr.; her younger brother, Billy J. Smartt; her parents, Marvin Franklin Smartt and Albert “Bertie” Harmon Smartt; and her son-in-law, George Macfadden Wells. Betty’s family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the staff of The Isle at Watercrest (Bryan, Texas) and Acura Hospice (Sugarland, Texas) for the loving care they showed Betty in her final days. Services will be held at Sylvan Hills Church of Christ on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Visitation will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m., the Funeral begins at 10:30 a.m., with burial to immediately follow at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery. Please visit smithfamilycares.com for the online guestbook.