Betty Lou Wright

Betty Lou Starr Wright was born July 12, 1933 in Athens, Tennessee to Willie Marie Underwood Starr and George Hunter Starr Sr.  She took flight for her heavenly assignment on August 17, 2021 from Wickshire Creeks Crossing in Raeford, NC.

Betty was the third of nine siblings in the Starr family.  She attended McMinn County schools until her marriage to Woodrow W. Wright Sr. on Christmas Eve 1950.  In her teens, she worked at the Snack Shop in Athens, was a National Honors Society student, then was a homemaker until her three sons were all attending school in Kingston, Tennessee.  She began working in the garment industry in the sixties, and later worked in the accounting department at Bank of Roane County until her retirement.

Betty was a lifelong Southern Baptist Church member, and in recent years attended Kingston First Baptist Church.  She didn’t read music, but her keen ear for harmony gave her a distinctive alto voice as she sang the hymns of the church and gospel songs.  She enjoyed Sunday school and other church related activities, namely Young At Heart.   Her Bible is filled with sermon notes, references to sermons and the ministers who preached them, and when.  She and her closest friend Marie Caldwell worshiped and traveled to many places together after their husbands had passed away.  To the delight of her children and their friends who stayed at the Wright house over the years, Betty kept the tradition of her family culinary delicacy, “Chocolate Syrup and Biscuits” alive, as well as her signature “Butterscotch Brownie” recipe.  The biggest joy of her life was caring for and loving her special needs grandson, Steven.  

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her second son David Wright, grandson Steven Wright, her brother Ray Starr, and sisters Frances Monroe and Agatha Ray.  Her surviving siblings include Glenda Hall of Athens, TN, Wanda (H.L.) Patterson of Athens, TN, George Starr, Jr. (Joyce) of Cleveland, TN, Kaye Kyker (John Payne) of Athens, TN, and Faye (Ed) Morris of Athens, TN.

She is survived by sons Michael (Linda) Wright of Fayetteville, NC, and Woody (Vonnie) Wright of Alexandria, IN, grandson Jeff (Shannon) Wright of Knoxville, TN, granddaughters Sandra Wright and Michelle (Jason) Hulon of Fayetteville, NC, and Carli Wright of Los Angeles, CA,great grandchildren Caitlin (Zack) Hunt, Patrick Bohannon of Fayetteville, NC and Cameron and Madison Wright of Knoxville, TN.

Funeral services will be held at Kingston First Baptist Church on Saturday August 21 at 2:00 PM, with Dr. Gary Alley officiating. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service and burial will follow at Kingston Memorial Gardens, Kingston, TN.   Online register book can be signed at www.FrakerFuneralHome.net.  Fraker Funeral Home of Kingston is in charge of all the arrangements. 

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