Betty W. Hamsley's Obituary
Betty Wilson Hamsley, 87 of Germantown, Tn and widow of Mr. James K. Hamsley, Sr. went home to be with the Lord, Friday, February 8, 2019. Daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother – Betty was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi (8/02/31) and grew up in Grenada where she met and married Ken, her high school sweetheart in 1951. They were happily married for 65 years. After assignments in Jacksonville, FL, Elizabeth City, NC, and Corpus Christi, TX with the U.S. Navy, they finally settled in Memphis, TN around 1956. Their family quickly grew to four sons – Ken, Jr. (Gailor) of Memphis, TN; Keith (Debra) of Arlington, TN; Jeff (Siyan) of Piperton, TN and Mark (Lisa) of Somerville, TN along with the blessings of 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.While raising four boys, Betty found time to work first at the draft board Downtown when Memphis’ famous son, Elvis, was inducted. She then worked in the 60’s as personal secretary to Dr. John Shea before joining the Holiday Inn “family” for over 17 years. Later in her career she worked for HI franchisees while growing Ken’s office supply business, Hamsley Enterprises, for 34 years. In between doting on her grandchildren and great “grands” she joined The Woman’s Exchange as volunteer and bookkeeper. Betty and Ken, Sr. were dedicated members of Bellevue Baptist Church, growing in faith under pastors Dr. Lee, Dr. Pollard, Dr. Rogers and most recently Dr. Gaines. Also, she was a longtime member of Bellevue’s Philathea Sunday School class, and Community Bible Study. She was preceded in death by her parents and her only sibling, Mrs. Barbara Wilson Vance (Bill), and her first grandson, Christopher Hamsley.Visitation will be Tuesday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Memorial Park with services Wednesday at 2pm. The family suggests any memorials be sent to Bellevue Baptist Church’s Missions, Veterans of Foreign Wars or Our Daily Bread Ministries.All services will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 767-8930. “Celebrating Life… Behind the Stone Wall”.
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