Bettye Lou Anderson Ratcliff, age 81, went to be with the Lord peacefully on December 26, 2024, at her home in Texarkana, Texas.
Bettye was the daughter of Edith Marie King and Walter Samuel Anderson. She was born and raised on a farm in Athens, Tennessee and was one of 11 children.
She met her husband, James E. Ratcliff (Jimmy) in Huntsville, AL in 1962. They settled in Texarkana in 1972. She was a faithful wife who loved being a homemaker. She was a wonderful cook, talented seamstress, and was always trying new arts and crafts. She taught her children how to work hard and care for a home. She was resourceful and very creative. She was so friendly and never met a stranger.
She has been a member of First Baptist Church for almost 45 years, where she served in the preschool, youth and women’s ministries. In earlier years she volunteered at the Runnin WJ Ranch and the Friendship Center. In later years she found great joy serving alongside the women of the Golden Circle Sunday School class in the backpack ministry and Operation Christmas Child (“OCC”) shoebox ministry. She helped lead the class in raising money to support OCC. In the last few years, when her eyesight and health were compromised, she still found ways to serve the Lord by making thousands of notepads for OCC shoeboxes. She also made sure every friend she knew received a birthday card, because she felt so loved and encouraged when others sent her cards when she had breast cancer.
Bettye will be best remembered by her family for the impact she made on her husband’s, children’s and grandchildren’s faith. She taught them the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ, going to church, giving and prayer. Her faith was tested many times through her health related crises, but she trusted in the Lord with all her heart and leaned not on her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) and her faith was strengthened. She was so grateful for her husband who cared for her, her children, grandchildren and great-granddaughters, her extended family, her friends and her church family. She was not able to do all the things she wanted to do, but she learned to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11).
She is survived by her husband, James E. Ratcliff (Jimmy); her children, Gina Moore (John), Wendy Welch (Michael), Julie Ratcliff, Brian Ratcliff (Ginger); her grandchildren Drew (Emily), Brady and Landon Moore, Zach, Jake and Jason Welch, Hannah, Molly, Emma Kate, and Reese Ratcliff; and her great-granddaughters, Chandler and Annie Moore. She is survived by four sisters living in Tennessee: Martha Evans, Joyce Sweet (Alvin), her twin sister, Barbara Jarvis (Don), and Janet Kennedy (Jim), and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Randy Ratcliff (Debbie) of Texarkana, Texas, and sisters-in law Tamara Mantooth (Gary) of Canton, Georgia, and Rene Jeffers of Perryville, Arkansas and many nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at Chapelwood Funeral Home in Nash, Texas on Sunday, December 29 at 3:00 pm. Visitation will be held at 2:00 pm. A private family graveside will follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Golden Circle Sunday School Class Shoebox Ministry (First Baptist Church, 3015 Moores Lane, Texarkana, Texas 75503) or Warm Hearts Ministry (www.warmheartsministry.org
