Betty Molinary: Life Sketch

19 October 1937-12 February 2019

Longtime resident of Frayser in Memphis, TN, Betty Molinary passed away on Tuesday, February 12 in Napa, California. A loving mother to three and friend to many, she devoted most of her days to the care and welfare of others.

Betty Molinary spent 31 of her years in Virginia, 47 years in Memphis, and her last four with her daughters in Arizona and California. She was born Elizabeth Walker Burruss in Augusta County, Virginia in 1937 and attended George Washington High School in Alexandria. Afterwards, she attended Mary Washington College and completed the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Virginia initiating a long life and career in compassionate care teaching, and volunteering.  But she never stopped developing and learning. In the 1970s, she earned a Masters degree in Community Health from Memphis State University and continued graduate study in nursing throughout the 1980s. From 1973 until its closing in 1998, she taught at the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing.

In addition to her professional career, Betty Molinary volunteered. And volunteered. The list of her community involvement is long, but she spent concentrated effort with the Girlscouts; with Arkwings in Frayser; with the Tennessee Mentorship program; the Frayser Development organization; and the Church Health Center. Under Dr. Bill Byrne's leadership (deceased 2016), she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people in her community and had aspirations of helping to open a public and secular community health center in Frayser, using the model of the Church Health Center.

During her life, she was recognized with a number of honors and awards, the most meaningful to her being the United Methodist Church Laity Award. A member of the Faith United Methodist Church (formerly Frayser Heights United Methodist Church), she taught Sunday School for decades and was active in every facet of the church and its development. She especially enjoyed her activities with the United Methodist Women of which she was President for two years. Though sincere and serious in her beliefs, Betty seemed eternally light-hearted; always ready to sing or to dance. In her personal life and actions, she was deeply Christian. She embraced with love every single human she encountered because she was, perhaps above all, resolute in her conviction that true, universal love—individual and actuated—creates whole worlds of justice and peace. Betty led with love, which is not easy, not always wise, and not always safe. A genuinely compassionate person, her most special quality was that when she looked at you, it was not so much that she looked WITH or AS goodness and compassion; rather, Betty Molinary looked you in the eye, AT goodness—at your own worth and compassion. She made everyone she met feel like they mattered and were important because that's the truth of it and of her life.

A memorial service and life celebration reception will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at Forest Hill East Funeral Home in Memphis Tennessee.  In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to Faith United Methodist Church to Doctors Without Borders, or to a charity of your choice.

Ushers:

Rick Haines             Greg Lester, Jr.

Chris Hill                  Rondal May

Craig Lafferty           Brady Selby