Betty Painter loved to help things grow. Whether it was her garden, her daughters or her community, she always took a nurturing role.
The garden “is where my mom felt the most peace and harmony,” said Sally Painter of Portland, Ore.
Painter’s home was featured in the Decatur Garden Show in the early 2000s, said Betsy Roberts, another daughter who lives in Atlanta.
Susan Painter, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., described her mother as “very much a Southern lady.”
Betty Claire Farmer Painter died Sunday of complications from a bone marrow disorder. She was 88.
The family held a private graveside service at Decatur Cemetery on Friday, and a memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday, June 16 at First Baptist Church Decatur. The family will receive visitors from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, June 15 at A.S. Turner and Sons in Decatur.
“The garden was her passion,” Susan Painter said. She loved working with her hands and getting them dirty.
Painter had many shade plants in her garden, but she especially loved roses, even though they were a challenge to grow in Georgia’s soil. “She worked hard to grow” her roses, said Sally Painter. “And she grew killer tomatoes.”
Susan Painter described her childhood as “picture perfect,” recalling the clothes her mother sewed for the sisters, as well as the meals she cooked for the family.
After working as a secretary for several years for the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas, now known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Painter left her job to raise her three daughters.
Once it was time for the girls to go to college, Painter helped send all three girls to the University of Georgia by working at the DeKalb County Health Department. “I’ve always been grateful for that,” said Sally Painter about her mother going back to work so the sisters could go to college.
Betty Painter was also an active member in her neighborhood association, making sure the quality of the neighborhood was maintained. She was a member of the Junior League of DeKalb County and was very involved in First Baptist Church Decatur. She and her husband, Bill Painter, who died in 2009, had lived in the same house in Decatur since 1951.
The couple traveled to all 50 states as well as to China, Africa, Australia and the former Soviet Union.
In addition to her daughters, Painter is survived by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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