Betty Jane Willis

Betty Jane “BJ” “Betty Boop” Willis, born on August 19, 1950, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on May 14, 2026 at the age of 75.

A funeral service to celebrate Betty’s life will be held on May 21st at 11am at North River Methodist Church at 2494 US HWY 70 in Beaufort, NC. Her Burial will follow at the cemetery right behind the church. Family and friends are invited to attend and celebrate the beautiful life she lived.

Our Mama, Betty — also known as BJ and lovingly called “Betty Boop” — was one of the kindest souls God ever created. In her later years, you couldn’t have convinced anyone she had ever raised her voice at somebody before… but my brother and I know different, lol.

Growing up, Mama worked so hard to take care of my brother and me. She loved waitressing and was very good at it, working everywhere from Ebb Tide to Mike’s Restaurant to Beaufort House. I remember sneaking quarters out of her tip jar so my brother and I could walk to the convenience store on Highway 70 and buy candy. Later in life she worked at Belk, where she eventually retired. She truly enjoyed taking care of others.

Mama loved all of her family, but when those grandbabies came along, so did those Happy Meals from McDonald’s. Funny enough, I don’t remember my brother and I getting those when we were little.

Because Mama worked so much during the summers, my brother and I often spent our days at Hill’s Gas with her mom and dad (Granny and Granddaddy) and Aunt Kay. That meant trips to the general store for ice cream, and it also meant I helped roll silverware at Mike’s Restaurant so Mama could get off work a little earlier.

If you think that was something, Mama really went over the deep end when Shawn Jr., her first great-grandchild, was born. He could’ve asked for the moon, and she would’ve tried to take him there. She was his person, and he was hers. One of her greatest wishes was to see all of them grow up. One of her fears was, “one day Shawn Tray will be too big and won’t want to spend the night with me any more….” Not a chance!

Karter was her sweetest boy, Sariah her sassy girl, Alexandria her heart, and Lillian Rose the sweet icing that completed her cake. She longed to see them all grow and thrive, just as she did the two who made her a grandmother — Dereck Joseph, Shawn Sr. and Alexandria, years later. She loved her grandchildren and great-grands to no end!

Mama loved ALL her brothers and sisters, her nieces and nephews, cousins and everyone in between. She told me all the time she missed talking to her moma every day and how Aunt Ann (Temple) was her favorite sister, “don’t tell anyone,” she would say! And, of course, she loved my brother Richard and I. Robin, my husband, she simply adored!!! Most of all, Mama loved the Lord with all her heart. During the last few months of her life, as I slept on my little cot behind her bed in CCU, I would often hear her wake up and say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus God, for waking me up today.”

Through the years, I have questioned from time to time whether someone made it to Heaven or not. But without a shadow of a doubt, I know our Mama is with Jesus. I long for the day when that realization finally takes away the pain in my heart from living without her. She watched me take my first breath and I watched her take her last! It was my pleasure being her daughter and I’d choose her as my Mother Every Single Time!!!

Mama leaves behind many beloved family members: her sister, Ann Temple and husband Earl Temple of New Bern, NC; brother, Dan Hill, of California; brother, Albert James Beason, of SC; and brother George Jones and his wife Jane, of Pleasant Garden, NC; her family who loved her deeply and will miss her more than words could ever express, forever and always.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident I say, to be absent from the body is to be present with Lord.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noefs.net

Arrangements by Noe Funeral Service, Inc. of Beaufort, NC.