Betty June Babe

Betty June Babe went by many names; Mom, Nina, Nana, GG, and Grandma were the most common callings for this kind, mischievous, no filter, animal adoring person. After a full life of 92 years, she departed this world on Thursday, August 26, 2021 surrounded by her greatest accomplishment, a legacy of unconditional love, personified by every generation of her family. Both of her daughters and son, nearly all of her grandchildren from near and far, and even her 3-year old great-grandchild (who was eager to see Jesus in person come pick up GG and was very disappointed that a man from the funeral home came instead) were all gathered around her as her spirit left her body. It is the kind of death that I think many of us hope for; a full room of loved ones, holding our hands, laughing as we tell stories, and the warmth of togetherness. In fact, the warmth in that room was so great, that my aunt caught on fire as she was saying her goodbyes to my even-in-death-witty grandmother. As it turns out she was just leaning a little too close to a candle and was not in fact spontaneously combusting. I can hear my grandmother cracking herself up. That’s what she liked to do, make herself laugh, typically at the expense of one of us. A large part of her wit stemmed from her unrelenting inability to filter anything that came out of her mouth. She told you exactly what she thought and was not discreet about it in any way. She also offered strange words of encouragement. For example, her devoted and loving family decided to surprise her one Thanksgiving by traversing the country to share the holiday together with her. I went to pick her up and take her to my mom’s house where everyone was waiting to surprise her. In the car, she kept going on and on about missing her daughter and grandchildren out in Oregon and she wished she could see them and then she went on to talk about how long it had been since she spent a holiday with her son in Alabama and her grandchildren down there and that the holidays just aren’t the same anymore with so much family missing. To lighten the mood, and to remind her of how incredibly thoughtful I am as a granddaughter, I said, “Well I come visit you frequently so you get to see me all the time!” The woman literally waved her hand at me as if I were a fly getting too close to her meal. I exclaimed, “What am I? Chopped liver!?” And then I saw a small smile crack on her face and she said, “I really like chopped liver,” like that was supposed to make me feel better. Needless to say, she absolutely loved the surprise of seeing her distant loved ones right there with her.  The only things my grandmother loved more than all of us were food and animals. Most of our conversations were around cooking or eating or discovering some disgusting ingredient she cooked into our meals without telling us for years and years and then found it hilarious to enlighten us much later after the fact. Aside from food, we talked about animals such as all of her pets she ever had including her very first dog that she bought for $4 after work from the candy shop in the 1940s. She loved her animals dearly and all of her grand-animals. She believed you could know all you needed to know about a person by the way they treated other creatures. I am fortunate to have so many memories and stories of this person that I love so deeply, but the thing that I think we can undeniably take away from her is her unwavering and completely unconditional love. We throw the words unconditional love around but I don’t think we always truly know what that means. You could come to her with any flaw, any mistake and she would love you in spite of it all. She would say, “That’s okay sweetheart, I still love you a bushel and peck and it will be alright.” And she meant it. And she was right. While we have been expecting this day for quite some time now, it is still incredibly difficult to feel her absence, but I notice her love is everywhere. Because she loved so deeply, so genuinely, and without judgment or regard, I find myself surrounded by that love in my family as we have gathered to celebrate her. She left a legacy of laughter and love that has transcended generations and will continue to for many more to come. We love you always and will miss you forever, Nana, GG, Grandma, Nina, Mom.

She is survived by her children Sandy and husband Mark Himsl, Christine and husband Doug Dickinson, Gary and wife Vickie Williams, her dear brother Don Jones, 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, August 29, at Lord and Stephens, Danielsville at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Madison County Animal Shelter.