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Betty Ahrens Obituary
Betty Hatcher Ahrens of Palmyra, Virginia, went to be with our Lord on Thanksgiving day, Thursday, November 26, 2009. She died peacefully at home surrounded by immediate family, after a brief but fierce struggle with stage 4 breast cancer.
Betty, a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on July 26, 1944, with twin brother Billy, to parents, William S. and Hazel G. Hatcher.
Betty was raised in Norris, Tennessee, with her twin brother, Billy Hatcher and older brother, LeRoy Hatcher. She later married Jon Ahrens and raised her family in the Greater Tampa Bay Area of Florida in the Brandon community. She and Jon retired in Palmyra, Virginia.
Betty is survived by her husband, Jonathan Arthur Ahrens of Palmyra; brothers, LeRoy Hatcher and sister-in-law, Sandra Hatcher of Knoxville, Tennessee, William S. Hatcher Jr. and sister-in-law, Cris Hatcher, of Ponce Inlet, Florida; children and grandchildren, daughter, Leah Ahrens Billingsley and son-in-law, Chris Billingsley of Palmyra, Virginia, parents of Alena and Austen Billingsley; daughter, Dana Ahrens Heath of Tampa, Florida, parent of Ann-Marie, Juliana and Thomas Heath; son, Dean Ahrens and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Ahrens of Brandon, Florida; son, Byron Ahrens and daughter-in-law, Tina Ahrens, of McDonough, Georgia, parents of Rachel and Kimberly Ahrens; son, Bert Ahrens and daughter-in-law, Madeline, of St. Petersburg, Florida, parent of Annelise Ahrens.
Betty, a compassionate Christian caregiver to her children, mother, father and husband has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Martha Jefferson Cancer Care Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she received incredible compassionate care for her cancer treatment, Martha Jefferson Cancer Care Center, 459 Locust Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22902, (434) 982-8125 or the charity of your choice.
A graveside service for friends and family will be held at Norris Memorial Gardens 1 p.m. Thursday, December 3, 2009.
Arrangements by Gentry-Griffey Funeral Chapel.
This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Dean, Leah and Betty
November 1, 2010
Jon and Betty
November 1, 2010
Ahrens "Bunch"
November 1, 2010
Ahrens "Bunch"
November 1, 2010
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Ahrens "Bunch"
November 1, 2010
Ahrens Family
November 1, 2010
Chris Thrasher
February 12, 2010
Bert & Maddie;
My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort. My condolences in your loss to you both, I wish I would have known sooner, just have been real busy. Talk to you all sometime in the very near future. God Bless!
Betty, Jon & Grandchildren
December 29, 2009
The Betty I Remember
December 29, 2009
December 29, 2009
"My life is but a weaving,
between my God and me;
I do not choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
and I in foolish pride,
forget He sees the upper,
and I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent,
and shuttles cease to fly,
will God unroll the canvas,
and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
in the skillful weaver's hand,
as the threads of gold & silver
in the pattern He has planned."(anon.)
Dear Bill and Family,
I am sorry this is late but I just wanted to say that I am sorry for your great loss.
I can’t even begin to know what you are facing and experiencing but I want you to know I am praying that you will know God’s great love for you during this time, and the continuing months ahead, and that He will bring great comfort to your hearts and help see you through.
"Thy mercy, oh Lord, is in the heavens: and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." Psalms 36:5
Love, Michele HATCHER LeDoux Abshire
Don & Beth Barton
December 8, 2009
Our prayers and thoughts are with your family. It is so wonderful to know that Betty was saved and went to live with the Lord. What a blessing that is for her family!
Dee Newman
December 3, 2009
My memories of Betty will forever,
Remain fond, evoking laughter and tears.
There are some memories I will never
Forget, stretching back over sixty years;
Back before we even started school,
When we played together as children,
Shirtless, down in that old wading pool
On the corner of Oak Road and Garden.
From what I have been told, Betty died
As she most certainly lived – with friend
And family members by her side –
Loved and loving them to the very end.
The mysteries of the unknown lie
Not in our fears, but in our love and concern
For others, whether they be foe or ally.
Expecting nothing in return, we learn
How to live and ultimately how to die,
While the living commemorate and cry.
Nora Dee Miller Webb
December 3, 2009
Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.
Eleanor Oberg
December 1, 2009
I prayed that the Lord would heal her according to His will, and He chose to give her His ultimate healing. I have thanked Him for sparing her any more pain. Betty was truly a blessing to all who knew her.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."....Psalm 116:15
November 30, 2009
My condolences to your family. Know that God is able to comfort (2nd Corint. 1:3 & 4) you during your times of distress. You are in my prayers.
November 29, 2009
Betty was a dear friend from our first days at Norris Elementary to our graduation from Norris High School. Through our weekly sleepovers and our hours of phone conversations we were inseparable for many years. Our lives took different directions, however, those early friendships are special and lasting. She is an inspiration in her strength and faith. May that be a comfort to all who loved her and will miss her.
Sincerely,
Sharon Rosenbalm Huffstutter
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