Betty May Ballengee

Betty May Rose Ballengee was born on May 10, 1935, in Staunton, Virginia, and passed away on June 18, 2026, in Smyrna, Tennessee. Betty May is remembered fondly as a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, a woman who deeply valued family and friends, music, history, and the arts, and conveyed those values to her children and grandchildren.

Betty May was a loving and supportive wife to her husband, Jim Ballengee, and a devoted mother to her children: James Richard Ballengee, Jr.; Robert Shannon Ballengee and his wife Laura; Elizabeth Ballengee Eastman and her husband Frank; and Jennifer Rose Ballengee and her husband Roger Kylin. She was a proud grandmother to eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her family was the center of her life, and she devoted a great deal of time, energy, and thought to making family time important and special.

Born in Staunton, Virginia, and raised in Clifton Forge, Virginia, Betty May received her BA in Music from Mary Washington College. Upon graduation, she married her husband Jim and taught music and English at a high school in Pulaski, Virginia, until the birth of their first child, Rick. She remained a teacher her whole life, teaching piano for years but also passing down her love of history and the arts to her children. Betty May was a creative person, a talented musician who also enjoyed oil painting. She fondly remembered summers on her grandparents’ farm in Staunton and retained a love of animals, especially dogs and cats, throughout her life.

Betty May was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Georgia, where she served as a deacon. From the time she joined the church in 1977, First Presbyterian Church was a central part of her life, even after she moved to Tennessee in 2023.

An engaged participant in her community, Betty May held leadership positions in the Green Island Hills Garden Club and was a regular host in her local bridge club. She loved to travel, especially with her husband Jim and her family, both at home and abroad.

Betty May loved large family gatherings and put great effort and attention into making the holidays special for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. One of the most cherished family events Betty May helped foster was the annual reunion of the extended Ballengee family at Holden Beach, North Carolina. This ongoing tradition, which began over 55 years ago and continues today, was a testament to Betty May’s devoted commitment to her family and the importance of family traditions.

Betty May Ballengee was a distinctive personality: a beautiful, talented, and intelligent woman who balanced her love of life with her devotion to her husband and family. She enriched the lives of those around her in ways both visible and invisible, creating a strong tapestry of community by building traditions and embodying the values of love and family. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered in the hearts of her loved ones.

The memorial service will be held at 3 pm on Monday, June 29, at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 First Avenue, Columbus, Georgia, 31901. In lieu of flowers, her surviving family asks that you consider making a gift to First Presbyterian Church of Columbus, Georgia.

Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Woodfin Funeral Chapels and an online guestbook is available for the family at www.woodfinchapel.com.