Betty Jo Bethea was born October 4, 1932, to the late Nannie Tracy and the late Albert Wilkins, in Spartanburg, SC. She was a graduate of Cowpens High School and furthered her education at Johnson C. Smith University.

Betty Jo Bethea resided in Washington D.C. for fifty plus years and loved to eat. She enjoyed watching soap operas and church services on TV. She attended Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Cowpens, SC.

She was preceded in death, along with her parents, by husband, Joseph Bethea; daughter, Deborah Berkley; siblings, Willie James Wilkins, Gennelle Haywood, Joann Maybin, and Ancie Tucker.

Left to cherish her fond and loving memory are sisters, Zonnie Horne and Carlotta Young; niece, Jacqueline (David) Smith; nephews, Carver Horne, Albert Wilkins, Michael (Angela) Wilkins, Fredrick Wilkins, and Sean Tucker all of Cowpens, SC, Mitchell Maybin of California, and Darryl Maybin of Raliegh, NC; great nieces, Jessica Bland and Ronette Brown both of Spartanburg SC; great-nephews, Brian Nash and Carlos Fuller both of Spartanburg, SC, Kensley (Ashley) Horne of Mauldin, SC and Ashley (Yulanda) Horne of Houston, TX; brother-in-law, James Maybin of Bossier City, LA; and a host of other family members and friends.

Betty transitioned on Friday, June 7, 2024. She will be missed by her family and friends.