Elizabeth K. "B.K." Herring-Shapiro

Elizabeth Kathryn "BK" Herring-Shapiro
September 13, 1944 - June 3, 2011
Raleigh
Elizabeth Kathryn Herring-Shapiro, called Betty Kaye by most of her family and BK by her husband and countless dear friends, passed away Friday Morning, June 3, shortly after sunrise. At the time of her passing at the age of 66, she was thought to be the longest-lived survivor of cystic fibrosis in the nation and perhaps the world. Her unwavering faith in God, miracles, and the power of prayer were an unending inspiration to all who knew her. While her amazing doctors at Duke Medical Center and the superbly skilled staff at Duke Raleigh Hospital deserve praise upon praise, all will agree that it was her tenacious faith that God had more for her to do that kept her alive and giving of herself long beyond Medicine's predictions of her demise.
BK was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Henry Herring and Winnie Blanton Herring.
She is survived by her husband of 19 years, Jay Shapiro of Raleigh; step-daughter Kahlila Shapiro Wamback and husband Eric of Durham; sister and brother-in-law Gay and Rufus Brown of Goldsboro; sister and brother-in-law Dot King and Claxton Harris of Chapel Hill; nephews Rufus Butner III and wife Lucia of Goldsboro; Henry Butner and wife Maria of LaGrange; Brent Butner of Goldsboro; Sterling Butner of Goldsboro; Robby King of Raleigh; Ricky King and wife Sheri of Forest, VA; Reggie King and wife Molly of Wake Forest; niece Sandra King of Hampton, GA; and more great-nieces, great-nephews and cousins than you can shake a stick at.
Born in Lenoir county, NC, Betty Kaye lived the fullest and most amazing life. She played championship basketball in high school and was a member of the first class of Oral Roberts University. An impossibly beautiful young woman, she went off to New York to become a model and lured Southern visitors to the Big Apple with her "I'm from North Carolina and I love New York!" TV commercial. She became a certified beauty contest judge, and she trained a young girl all the way to becoming Miss Teen USA. She managed office buildings; was a special assistant to Governor Jim Hunt and started the North Carolina Council for Women. BK sold medical malpractice insurance and industrial chemicals; she was an international tour director; she managed bookings, travel arrangements and schedules for the North Carolina Symphony. In her 50s, even as her health began to fade, she began a whole new career as a contract technical writer. Her health forced her to leave the working world in 2002, but it did not slow in the slightest her continuing drive to serve others, lift them up, and instill all she met with the gifts of faith and friendship. She was an amazing soul and the most giving and loving daughter, sister, wife, mother figure, aunt and dear friend. She is at peace now, but lives on in the hearts of all who knew her.
The memorial service for our Elizabeth Kathryn was held Sunday, June 5, at Westwood United Methodist Church in Goldsboro. Interment was at the Herring family cemetery in Albertson, NC. Pastor Rufus Butner III, her eldest nephew, officiated at both services.
If any would like to honor BK's memory in some formal way, the family asks that donations in her name be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, www.cff.org