Betty Louise Hart
89, Columbia
Betty Louise Hart of Columbia died on Thursday, June 18, 2020, at the age of 89. She was born Sept. 9, 1930, in New Orleans, to Essie Mae Stewart Hart and Paul Emerson Hart. Miss Hart grew up and attended school through the sixth grade in Sandy Hook. She graduated from Columbia High School in 1948. She began her higher education at Mississippi Women's College, now William Carey University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1952. Miss Hart graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1954 with a master's degree in religious education. During the summer of 1953, she attended the University of Havana in Cuba.
Miss Hart began her professional career in Midland, Texas, where she started a Mexican kindergarten. From 1956 to 1964, she was employed by the Home Mission Board at Toledo Mission Center in New Orleans. In 1964, Miss Hart was appointed as a missionary to Chile by the Southern Baptist Convention. She attended language school in Costa Rica from 1964 to 1965 and served in Chile from 1965 to 1996.
Upon her retirement, Miss Hart returned to Sandy Hook and later moved to Columbia where she resided for the next 20 years. A highlight of her retirement was assisting in establishing a Hispanic mission in Sandy Hook. She was a faithful member of Sandy Hook Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Essie Hart. Survivors include two first cousins, Shirley Smith (Robert) of Bush, La. and Geraldine Smith (Jim) of Colorado Springs; and several other cousins that include Rebecca Hart, Carol Lee Breakfield (Eddie Ray),Kathleen De Clement (David) and Helen Little all of Columbia; David Little (Lucy) of Houston, Texas, Bill Stewart, Paul Stewart, Barbara Gipson, and Tom Freeman of Picayune, MS.
There was a graveside funeral service, officiated by Rev. Ricky Daugherty, at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 26 in the Sandy Hook United Methodist Church Cemetery. Burial followed assisted by Brian Woods, Matthew Woods, Jamie McKenzie, Bill Stewart, Joey Stewart, and Darryl Gipson serving as pallbearers.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials in her honor be made to Iglesia La Familia, SBC, Hispanic Mission, Sandy Hook in care of Richard Beal, 903 High School Avenue, Columbia, Mississippi, 39429.
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