Betty Jo Davis-Miller
Did you know Betty? Please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Betty Jo Davis Miller (Tilton) of Longview, TX passed away on July 14, 2021, at the age of 92. She was born at the beginning of the Great Depression on July 1, 1929, in Fort Smith, AR to Vera Inez and Joseph Henry Tilton. She was the oldest of three daughters and graduated from Fort Smith High School in 1946. Betty had an IQ of 217 and attended college at Ouachita Baptist University to pursue her dream of becoming a missionary but life circumstances led her to come home early from college and she started a successful career in bookkeeping, instead. Betty retired from ABF Credit Union after working for Holiday Inn, KFPW, OK Feed Mills and Davis Lumber Yard.
Betty always said she was "rescued" by Joe Davis, who was a WWII Army Air Corps veteran and POW. They fell in love and married in 1948. They had three daughters that she loved more than anything. She served faithfully at Spradling Baptist Church on the piano and organ for decades. Her mother cleaned houses as a trade for piano lessons when she was a little girl and Betty used that beautiful gift until the very end of her life. Betty learned the act of service from her mother. She loved to host events and share her life with others.
After the loss of her husband in 1983, Betty retired and married David Miller in 1985. David was the husband of her late sister Merilou and it was a love story for the ages. She relocated to Longview, TX and had a wonderful second half in life - always playing the piano, doing a waltz or fox trot, playing bridge and learning all she could in her weekly women's Bible studies. She served for many years at the First United Methodist Church in Longview. Helping others with a heart and a hand always came natural to Betty and through that service, she lived out her dream to be a missionary.
Betty's memory and cherished life story will be kept alive by her two daughters, Kathy Davis of Fort Smith, AR and Donna (Windle) Ewing of Plano, TX; Her niece, Tracey (Pat) Shipper of Houston, TX; her sister, Dr. Sue T. Griffin "Suzy" of Little Rock, AR; six beautifully grown grandchildren, twelve gorgeous growing great-grandchildren, two devoted nephews and many special friends she loved like family.
Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Vera Inez and Joseph Henry Tilton; her husband, David Miller; her first husband, Joe Davis; her daughter, Janet Davis Ledford; her sister, Merilou Miller; her niece, Laney Carstarphen; her brother-in-law, Edmond "Gene" Griffin and a host of cousins and special friends.