Betty Joe Branham Ward passed away on Saturday, September 1, 2018.
Her memorial service is being held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 7, 2018 at Brentwood Baptist Church with Mrs. Gayle Haywood officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in Wilson Hall at Brentwood Baptist Church.
Mrs. Ward was born on March 23, 1928 in Lebanon, Tennessee. She is preceded in death by her parents, Myrtle Johnson Branham and Joseph Brown Branham and her sister, Dene Branham McCullough. She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Thompson Ivey Ward, II; her children, Cynthia Ward Jennings (Harold), Teresa Ward (Burton), Thompson Ivey Ward, III (Kathy), Jody Ward Anderson (J.C.); her siblings, Norvel Ray Branham, Dr. Gerald Brown Branham, Margaret Branham Hereford and John Parker Branham; her grandchildren, Dr. Jennifer Miller-Davis (Taylor), Dr. Jessica Miller, Thompson Ivey Ward, IV, Brett Ward (Indu), Dr. Abigail Jennings, Benjamin Ward, Bryan Ward (Kellie) and Katherine Anderson and her great-grandchildren, Brylie, Karlie and Adrianna Ward.
Betty attended Tennessee Tech and Cumberland University, where she was homecoming queen. She was a faithful volunteer at Cheekwood and served terms as President of the Friends of Cheekwood and Middle Tennessee Horticultural Society; she also led travel groups for Cheekwood. She was a member of Brentwood Baptist Church for nearly 40 years where she served in various roles and sang in the senior adult choir. She was a substitute teacher for Nashville Public Schools and Franklin Road Academy for over 30 years and later was a volunteer reading tutor for students in Williamson County Schools. Betty was a member of the Centennial Club of Nashville. For many years she led Christmas carolers to collect donations for Fannie Battle Day Home. Her other interests included tennis, gardening, bridge, travel and lots of time spent with her grandchildren.
The Ward family extends its heartfelt thanks to the staff at The Fountains of Franklin for their devoted care and comfort of Betty in the final stages of her life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Cheekwood, the Alzheimer’s Association, or Brentwood Baptist Church’s Hope for the World or their Children’s Ministry.
To leave a note for Betty’s family or share a memory, please sign the online guest book.
