Betty Calloway Coley's Obituary
Betty Catherine Calloway Coley, 92, of Albemarle, passed away peacefully on December 17, 2025, at Spring Arbor.
A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Centerview Baptist Church, with Pastor Adam Hatley officiating. Burial will follow at Stanly Gardens of Memory. The family will receive friends at the church from 1:00 until 1:45 PM prior to the service.
Born on March 1, 1933, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Betty was the daughter of the late Charlie Calloway and Bertha Shepherd Calloway. Betty was raised along with her siblings at the Baptist Children's Home in Thomasville but returned to Stanly County in 1950 and graduated from New London High School in 1951. She was a devoted member of Centerview Baptist Church, where she was the oldest member, and was a retired employee of Federal Pacific.
Betty will be remembered by her family as a loving and meek woman whose life was marked by faith, kindness, curiosity, and forgiveness. She was a wonderful cook and homemaker, always caring for those around her with a gentle spirit and a sweet heart. She dearly loved the 23rd Psalm, and her favorite hymn was "Beulah Land." One of the lessons she faithfully passed on to her children was, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." She also lovingly taught all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren how to make her cherished fried apple pies, a tradition that will continue to be passed down through the generations.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved husband, D. L. "Jake" Coley and her sister Jenelle Calloway Cooper.
She is survived by her five children: Angela Mills (David) of Albemarle, Sharon Hathcock of Naples, Florida, Lynn Furr (Donnie) of Albemarle, Michael Coley (Dan) of Boomer, North Carolina, and Douglas Coley (Robin) of Gold Hill, North Carolina; a brother, John Henry "J. H." Calloway of Salisbury; ten grandchildren, Candice Lopez, Chris Furr, Leigh Anne Hester, Angie Hatley, Amanda Hathcock, Jonathan Mills, Adam Furr, Rhianna Harris, Alisha Brewster and Sabrina Lowder; and 24 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Centerview Baptist Church at https://www.centerviewbaptistalbemarle.com or Tillery Compassionate Care at https://www.tillerycompassionatecare.org.
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