Betty Wills Stephens, age 84, of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee passed away on Monday, October 2, 2023.
Betty was born in Memphis, TX and was the daughter of the late Aaron Burr Wills and Leah Ola Denson Wills.
She was married to Walter E. Stephens, Jr. for 64 years. She was a devoted follower of Christ and a member of Victory Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, TN. Betty lived life to the fullest. To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was known as Ganna.
Betty was always busy whether singing gospel music (her first love), promoting economic development for the Chamber of Commerce organizations she worked for or acting in movies, commercials, or videos. She became a member of the Screen Actors Guild in 1988 and was awarded many Southern Gospel Music awards for singing over the years.
In the last years of her life, she focused on the business community serving the Chambers of Commerce in Lake Charles, Louisiana and as Executive Director of the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce from 1987 to 1993. In 1994, she started BWS Communications which was an independent marketing company.
Prior to retiring, Betty worked with Edward Jones Investments as an office administrator receiving many performance awards along the way. In 2000, she was a co-founder of the non-profit ministry called Christopher Ministries, Inc. in memory of her grandson and son-in-law. She served as the secretary for the organization until the time of her death. She was a woman of purpose and a great encourager to all.
Betty was also preceded in death by her siblings, Eva Irene Wills Balch, A.B. Wills, Alvin Wills (Calvin’s twin), Calvin L. Wills, Bill Wills, Sr., Lou Wills Hildreth, son-in-law, Joseph Hughes and grandson, Christopher Hughes.
She is survived by:
Husband – Walter E. Stephens, Jr.
Children – Tracia Stephens Hughes Jungkurth (Victor), Tamara Stephens Smith (Jeffrey) and Walter E. Stephens, III (Laurie)
Grandchildren – Stephen Hughes (Jennifer), Sara Reid (Jeremy), Erin Stephens, Lauren Jones (Jacob), Leah Stephens, Riley Marie Smith and Owen Smith (Allea)
Great-grandchildren – Madeline, Maisie, and Ridge Hughes and Bexley, Elliana, and Joshua Reid
Siblings – Bobby Lee Wills, Sr. (Twin Brother) and Norma Jo Wills Hamm
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Betty’s name to Christopher Ministries, Inc. at www.christopherministries.com
A Celebration of Life service will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Bond Memorial Chapel with Dr. Terry Samples and Dr. Billie Friel officiating. Interment will follow at 12 noon at Poplar Hill Cemetery, Watertown, TN with Dr. Victor Jungkurth (son-in-law) officiating.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday, October 13, 2023 at Bond Memorial Chapel, N. Mt. Juliet Road and Weston Drive, Mt. Juliet, TN. (615) 773-2663. www.bondmemorial.com
For more obituaries visit https://wilsoncountysource.com/obituaries/
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