Helen Elizabeth (Bettye) Burt
Helen Elizabeth (Bettye) Burt, a loving mother and grandmother with an enduring devotion to Jesus, her faith and her family, died Thursday, April 20, 2023, in the Neshoba County Nursing Home.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, April 24 at 1 p.m. in Holy Cross Catholic Church.
The Rev. Augustine Palimattam officiated, assisted by seminarian Tristan Stovall.
Prior to the mass, a rosary was prayed in the funeral home at 9:30 a.m. followed by visitation from 10:30 to 12:30 p.m.
Burial was in Cedarlawn Cemetery under the direction of McClain-Hays Funeral Home.
Mrs. Burt, 96, affectionately known as Granny Burt, could only be described as saintly, many said.
She was a lifelong member of Holy Cross, attending mass daily after her retirement as a clerk at Dees where she became friends with many of her customers. She was a member of the church’s altar society.
The daughter of the late Daniel Munch and Kate George, she was the great-granddaughter of the late Elizabeth and Daniel Rush, in whose home the first Catholic mass was celebrated in Neshoba County in 1849. Holy Cross Church was first constructed near their home in 1860 and later relocated to its current site in 1910.
After her husband died in 1988, Mrs. Burt joined a group of longtime girlfriends, traveling to a number of interesting places.
An avid reader of mostly nonfiction, she enjoyed baking, gardening and watching all types of sports including golf. She spent numerous hours in her flowerbeds, frequently sharing her plants and vegetables with friends and family.
A seasoned cook, she rose early on Sundays to prepare lunch for her large family to serve after mass. She also enjoyed family get-togethers near her two ponds.
In her later years, she became a weekday fan of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Dancing with the Stars” on television.
Survivors include her daughter, Debbie Burt Myers and husband, Garry Myers; three sons, Jeff Burt and wife, Dedra Burt; Chris Burt; Patrick Burt and his wife Kendall; and one sister, Donna George Breedlove.
Mrs. Burt had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Jonah Burt and McKenna Baldwin; Grant Myers and wife, Crystal, and children Bailey and Jake; Jordon Myers and children, Caroline, Addisyn and Asie; Tiffani Burt and son William Timothy; Casie Thompson and husband, Andrew, and children Burt and Edie; Ryan Burt and wife, Tara, and children Lainey Grace and Whitt; Corey Burt and wife Amber and children, Lucy, Libby, Aleigh Wade and Covey; and Celeste Burt Jordan, husband Josh and children Piper, Judah and Brooks.
Mrs. Burt had two wonderful caregivers, Judy Allen and Lillian Taylor, and the wonderful staff at Quality Hospice Care and the nursing home.
Mrs. Burt was preceded in death by her husband, Asie Wade (Rack) Burt, longtime parks and recreation director; her oldest child, George Timothy Burt; three brothers, Henry Kirk George, Jessie George and Harry George; and five sisters, Ruth Kilgore, Rita Sisson, Shirley Burt, Martha Burt and Sybil George.
Pallbearers were Corey Burt, Grant Myers, Ryan Burt, Steve Burt, Coker Fulton, Kip Fulton and Jonah Burt.
Honorary pallbearers were Danny Burt, Anthony George, Bill Rosamond, Stanley Salter, Stan Burt, John Burt and Jimmy Dan Kilgore.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Holy Cross Catholic Church Youth, 406 Wilson St., Philadelphia, Miss. 39350 or your favorite charity.