Betty Clark LAFITTE

1923 - 2014

LAFITTE, Betty Clark Edith Elizabeth ("Betty") Clark Lafitte, age 91, died Friday, December 12, 2014, of end stage dementia. She was born August 13, 1923 in Macon, Georgia, the only child of Victor Burnett Clark and Edith Delilah (nee Howell) Clark, but she was essentially an Atlanta native. She was married November 11, 1950, to the late George Arthur Lafitte, Jr. She is survived by sons, Bruce Lafitte (Daria Jones) of Atlanta and Glenn (Bonnie Brawand) Lafitte of Mission, Texas; grandsons, Ryan Lafitte (Lydia Dené) and Vincent (Carra Childers) Lafitte, both of Tucker, GA, and Jared (Mandy Heilman) Lafitte and Justin (Glenna Eigel) Lafitte, both of Louisville, KY; great-grandchildren, Samantha Bettie Lafitte and Thomas Arthur Lafitte, both of Tucker, GA, and another great-grandchild on the way. Betty attended E. Rivers Grammar School and North Fulton High School in Atlanta. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the Atlanta College of Art and decades later completed a Bachelor of Education Degree from Georgia State with an art emphasis. Early work experiences included Grizzard Advertising and Rich's Department Stores, but she was most proud of illustrating health bulletins at the CDC. After a hiatus to raise her two sons, she taught art at Druid Hills High school for 11 years. As an artist, Betty was primarily a water-colorist, but as an art teacher she enjoyed introducing her students to multiple art mediums including painting, pottery, batik, scratch boards, and weaving. Her water-colors are included in many private collections. She was frequently the featured artist at Gallery V and Chambrel in Roswell and her works have been shown at exhibits of the Roswell Fine Arts Alliance as well as in other juried and invitational shows. She continued teaching art on a volunteer basis well into her eighties. As the daughter of a church organist and choir director she began singing in choirs at age eight at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta. As a young adult she joined the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip and was active in choir and Daughters of the King for 40 years. When her husband died in late 1984, she moved into her newly-built house in Alpharetta, joined St. David's Church in Roswell and continued her active church-centered lifestyle. Betty's capacity for volunteerism and hospitality were envious. Den Mother, PTA volunteer, High Museum of Art docent, Gallery V member, St. David's organ fundraiser, and church choir alto for 75 years are just a few of her volunteer efforts. Betty frequently hosted large gatherings of family and friends in her Alpharetta home and at Lake Lanier and Hilton Head Island vacation homes. She never met a stranger and her guests included friends from Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland and Ecuador. Her final volunteer act was to donate her body to Emory University School of Medicine. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at St. David's Episcopal Church, 1015 Old Roswell Rd., Roswell, Georgia 30076, on Saturday, January 3, 2015 at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to St. David's Church, the Daughters of the King, the High Museum of Art, or a charity of your choice.