Elizabeth "Betty" Killingsworth Shealy

Saluda, SC Elizabeth Killingsworth “Betty” Shealy Elizabeth K. “Betty” Shealy joined her family in heaven on May 19, 2022. She was a resident of the Saluda Nursing Center. Born in Florence, SC, to Ralph Morgan Killingsworth and Elizabeth “Dibbie” Baker Killingsworth, Betty lived in several cities in her youth because her father was a civil engineer. She always reminded her children that “Daddy built that bridge,” when they crossed the bridge on Highway 378 going into Conway on their annual trips to Cherry Grove Beach. The Killingsworths eventually settled in Saluda, where Betty met a handsome young man named “Shake” (James B. Shealy, Sr.) She thought he was a teenager, but he was actually a 20-year-old World War II veteran. Their love story lasted over 50 years until Shake died in 1998. Betty was a 1949 graduate of Saluda High and attended Winthrop College. Betty devoted her life to her church, her children, and Saluda County. She attended Red Bank Baptist Church when she moved to Saluda, but joined Emory United Methodist Church after marriage. Betty was Chairman of the Easter Seals Campaign, a Girl Scout Leader, a Cub Scout den mother, a Sunday School teacher, a Bible School superintendent, the Methodist Youth Fellowship leader, and volunteer at over 35 pageants which included “Miss Tiger”, “Miss Saluda County”, and “Saluda’s Junior Miss.” She was a member of the South Carolina Education Association and the Saluda Historical Society. She was one of the original members of the Pyracantha Garden Club. For over thirty years, she played bridge twice a month with a special group of friends, many of whom are waiting for her to join them now. Shake, Betty, and the four children were named “South Carolina’s Region Two Family of the Year” in 1991 by the SC Parks and Recreation Commission. Betty thought her children were perfect, and she was their staunchest supporter. She was proud of her children’s accomplishments, and she told them. She loved music and enjoyed hearing her children and her husband sing gospel music. As her grandchildren started coming along in 1981, she thought they were perfect, also, and rarely missed a dance recital or musical performance. She wasn’t so keen on baseball, so she heard about the games Shake, Ralph, or Jamie coached, or the grandchildren played, afterward. She was a Gamecocks fan. Betty was a stay-at-home wife of a dairyman until Elizabeth, the youngest, started school. All of the first seven grandchildren were blessed to have gone through Saluda High School while she was working as a paraprofessional. She loved her students and co-workers, and they loved her. She retired at age 70 after 32 years of service to Saluda Schools. In 2009 after seeing her children check their Facebooks at the beach, Betty came home and created her own. The children and grandchildren were surprised to receive Facebook friend requests from her. Through Facebook, she found her relatives and many of her students found her. She was quick with a quip and quick with a political post. She typed in all caps, and when her children asked her not to, she said, “No. It’s easier.” When they asked her not to post so much about politics, she replied, “I’m not going to quit.” When she began living at Saluda Nursing Center, her beloved laptop went with her, and she continued correspondence until the last few months of her life. She lived at SNC during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although her children did not touch or hug her for over a year, she wrote them on Facebook and kept up with what everyone was doing. Betty is survived by her sons Ralph and Jamie (Allison), and daughters Dibbie Shealy and Elizabeth Shealy Turner; grandchildren Morgan Jones (Holly), Mayson Donlon (Jason), Erin Coleman (Ryan), Trey Shealy (Allie), Kailyn Shealy, Gavin Shealy, Dustin Bowdler, Andrew Bowdler (Brittany), Graham Bowdler (Sherra), Jacob Bowdler (Tamara) her brother-in-law Keith Parris (Louise) and nephew Kevin Parris (Melissa), and many other beloved family members. She leaves behind 19 great-grandchildren. Betty was predeceased by her parents, her husband, her sister Kay Parris, and her great-granddaughter Landry Elizabeth Donlon. The family would like to thank the staff of Saluda Nursing Center where Betty lived for two years. She was so content and cared for and never once expressed a desire to come home. For that, the family is forever grateful. Tributes in her memory may be made to the Kay Killingsworth Parris Scholarship Fund, Spartanburg County Foundation, 424 East Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302 or to Emory United Methodist Church, 423 Emory Road, Saluda, SC 29138. A memorial service will be held 2 p.m., Sunday, May 22, 2022 at Emory United Methodist Church with Rev. Ken Freeman and Rev. Trey Shealy officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church.

Elizabeth "Betty" Killingsworth Shealy

August 2, 1931 - May 19, 2022