Betty Anne Darwin Wilson

Betty Anne Darwin Wilson passed away on July 14, 2016 in North Richland Hills. She was 86 years of age.

Service: 10 am Monday at Richland Hills Baptist Church, 6852 Baker Blvd, Richland Hills, 76118 with Rev. James Hooper officiating. Graveside service: 3 pm Monday in Oak Hill Cemetery in Whitewright, Texas. Visitation: 3-5 pm Sunday at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst.

Memorials: Donations may be made in Betty's memory to Richland Hills Baptist Church.

Betty was born on January 9, 1930 in Whitewright, Texas to J.P. and Mary Darwin. She graduated from Whitewright High School as the valedictorian with honors in 1947. Betty worked at the First National Bank in Whitewright, Texas between school terms as a teller and bookkeeper. She graduated from North Texas College (now the University of North Texas) in Denton with a major in Elementary Education in 1951.

Betty's passions were Christ her Savior, her family, and her friends. She was a loving wife for 64 years to her husband Jerry, a caring and nurturing mother to her two sons, and taught Sunday School for most of her adult life. She also played piano for her church in her youth.

Betty was a dedicated educator, teaching for 31 years in the Fort Worth and Birdville school districts as a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher at Polytechnic, W.J. Turner, and W.T. Francisco elementary schools. In order to better reach her students, she obtained a master's degree in reading education from Texas Womens University in Denton and was a founding specialist teacher for the EXCEL gifted and talented program for Birdville schools until retiring in 1994. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, as well as a member of the Texas State Teacher Association. In recognition of her teaching career, the Betty A. Wilson Hall housing the elementary school of Arete Prepatory Academy in Phoenix, Arizona was named in her honor.

Betty was actively involved in her community of Richland Hills where she lived since the 1950s by serving on the library board and historical society. She was a coauthor of the History of Richland Hills Sesquicentennial edition book.

She was preceded in passing by her parents; and sister, Doretha Gosnell.

Survivors: Surviving Betty are her husband, Jerry Wilson; sons, Jim Wilson and wife, Mindy, and John Wilson and wife, Michele; five grandchildren, Kurt, Blake, Alyssa, Matt, and Sam; niece, Judy Rowton; sister-in-law, Mary Sharp and husband, Charles; and too many close friends to name.