Betty Davis-Boyd's Obituary
On Christmas Day, December 25, 2022, Betty Davis-Boyd, 92, peacefully graduated with honors from this life, with family and friends at her side, and an Irish farewell. She left us only twelve days after her late husband, Howard Glenn Boyd passed on December 13, 2022, at the age of 92. They had been living at Harding Place, in Searcy, Arkansas.
Betty is survived by her three adult children: Kenneth Laurence Davis of North Little Rock, Stephen Clifford Davis of Knoxville, Michael McDaniel Davis of Tampa Bay and his spouse and devoted daughter-in-law, Michele. Betty was known as “Meme” to her five surviving grandchildren: Russell Davis (spouse Emily), Brianna Carroll (spouse Randy), Nathan Davis (spouse Randi), Adrian Davis, and Alia Davis, and five great-grandchildren, Olivia Finley (spouse Sabastian), Chris Carroll, Alex Caroll, Hank Davis, and Hope Davis. She was known as “Betty” to her three adult bonus children and their children: Janet Reinhardt (spouse Andreas) of Germany, John Boyd (spouse Candy) of Texas, and Jayson Boyd (spouse Elvira) of Texas.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, William Alonso McDaniel, Jr. (94), and Nancy Merle Parsons McDaniel (74), her third son, Byron Christopher Davis (39), her grandson, William Lynn Davis (19), her first husband of fifty-four years, Kenneth Davis, Jr. (83), her second husband of ten years, Howard Glenn Boyd (92), her four brothers, Beal Burks McDaniel, Russell Ford McDaniel, Marion Johnson McDaniel, Calvin Coolidge McDaniel, and two sisters, Lonnie Ludene Michael, and Imojean Pate.
She was born Betty Sue McDaniel on July 30, 1930, in Comanche County, Texas, where she spent her early childhood years on a farm, as the youngest of seven siblings. She later moved to Alhambra, California with her mother to live with one of her older sisters, Jean, and attend high school at Mark Keppel High School, where she graduated in 1947.
She met her first husband, Kenneth (“Ken”), a WWII Marine Combat Veteran who was doing post-graduate work in music, at a Pearl & Bryan church function in Dallas. They were married on January 25, 1951. In 1953, they moved to Harding College, where Ken joined the music faculty, and was soon known as “Uncle Bud”, after one of his students overheard his mother call him Bud, his family name.
Betty had a beautiful soprano voice, and toured with Ken and his ensemble, The Belles and Beaux, as part of various USO tours entertaining U.S. Armed Forces. She accompanied him and the Harding A Capella Chorus all over the United States and Europe, often taking Michael, their youngest, with them. Aunt Betty and Uncle Bud continued their missions after Ken’s retirement in 1988, spending three years working with churches in Romania, before settling state side.
Betty was devoted to Ken for fifty-four years, until his passing on March 5, 2005. Seven years later, she and Glenn were married, and spent ten happy years together. Her life may be best summarized as “a life well loved” given her dedication and faithfulness to family, friends, and the Lord.
Heartfelt appreciation and love go out to the staffs at Harding Place, Southern Caregivers, Home Instead, Elite Hospice, Arkansas Hospice, Unity Health, and Baptist Health, for the above-and-beyond care you provided our loved ones over the last three years. Special appreciation to Doctors Faith, Barden, Yates, Justice, Durham, Ballinger, Blue, City, White, Ransom, and others for the care you provided them over the course of many years – thank you!
Memorial services will be held at two different locations on two different days – the first in Searcy, Arkansas, and the second in Dallas, Texas.
For the Searcy Memorial, visitation will be held at 10:00am on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at the College Church of Christ on 712 East Race Street. An area-wide potluck open to everyone will follow there at the church from noon to 2:00pm; then a Memorial service from 2:00 to 3:00pm.
For the Dallas Memorial, visitation will be held at 9:00am on Saturday, January 7, 2023, in the Wildwood Chapel at Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery located at 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, Texas. The Memorial service begins at 10:00am, and Internment immediately following on the grounds near the old water tower (Floyd Family Cemetery) where Betty will lie in state.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Betty’s memory may be made to “Uncle Bud and Aunt Betty Scholarship Fund”, and/or to “Women for Harding” (fka “Associated Women for Harding”) - both at Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas 72143, and/or to Harding Place Retirement Living.
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