Mrs. Betty Bowen

August 10, 1930 - December 13, 2020

Register, Georgia Betty Bowen, 90, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2020, surrounded by close family and loved ones at Southern Manor retirement Inn, under the care of Ogeechee Area Hospice. Born Betty Hodges on August 10, 1930 in Denmark, Georgia, she was the youngest of six children for parents George Emitte Hodges and Sarah Ruth Anderson Hodges. She graduated high school from the Marvin Pittman Laboratory School where she was senior class president and then went on to earn a scholarship and Business Certificate from the Georgia Teachers College. In 1952, she married the incorrigibly charming Berton O’Neal Bowen with whom she would raise two daughters on their family farm. A pillar of their community, she and her husband were always ready to lend a helping hand or share the bounty of their garden and kitchen. Betty was a legendary cook who will be remembered for generations. She was known far and wide, especially for her pimento cheese sandwiches, pound cake, fried chicken, sweet pickles, and so much more. Betty was always busy serving her family and community. Before getting married, she worked as a receptionist for Dr. Waldo Floyd, always going the extra mile to care for and nurture his patients. After she had children, she was Homeroom Mother for both daughters, guiding them through their many interests and activities. After both children graduated, she worked as a Customer Service Representative for Bulloch County Bank doing what she does best – helping others. She was an active and devoted member of the Lower Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church. And somehow she managed to find the time to organize and host the Hodges and Bowen family reunions for more than 50 years, including the fantastically fun annual Easter Egg Hunt. As a testament to the lives she touched, with just a glance at her refrigerator, any visitor would find it covered with hundreds of photos of relatives, babies, and children. Her legacy will live on and she will continue to inspire others with her indomitable strength and unyielding loyalty to her land, her family, and her people. She is preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband of 66 years, Neal. She is survived by her daughters, Cathy Bowen and her husband, Jim Gaddy, of Philadelphia, PA and Dr. Karen Bowen Padgett and her husband, Bill Padgett, of Olathe, KS. She has four grandchildren: Taggart Bowen-Gaddy of Atlanta, GA; Sarah Padgett of Overland Park, KS; Evan Bowen-Gaddy of Philadelphia, PA; and Michael Padgett of Kansas City, KS as well as many beloved nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and great-grand-nieces and nephews. She will be honored with a public viewing time of 5:00pm until 7:00pm on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, at Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory in Statesboro. The family encourages everyone to please be cautious and consider the safety of your own loved ones during this current health crisis. A private service for immediate family only will be Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 11:00am in the chapel of Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home with Elders Ric Stewart and Jack Anderson officiating. For those desiring to view the service via livestream, may do so by joining the group “Joiner-Anderson Live Stream” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jafhlive/. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Ogeechee Area Hospice, P.O. Box 531, Statesboro, Ga. 30459 or the Lower Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 4, Register, Georgia 30452. Friends may sign the online register book at www.joineranderson.com. Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro is in charge of the arrangements.