Betty BRISTOL

BRISTOL, Betty Jane,

quietly passed from her Christ-centered, earthly life into the glorious presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 with a smile on her face and her heart full of hope, peace and joy. A rare and aggressive sarcoma gradually wore down her tiny but mighty physical body, but could not dampen her spirit or rob her of that effervescent energy, joy and commitment to Christians missions that marked her every thought and action. Born Betty Jane Hess in St. Petersburg, Fla. in 1946, she was raised in Florida, attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor's in Nursing Science and met and married her husband of 44 years, Matt C.C. Bristol III. Betty followed her Air Force lawyer husband all over the world, but always found a way to serve others as a nurse. In 1978, she earned a Master's of Nursing degree in Community Health Nursing from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Her service included several years with the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she was responsible for the management of VA's worldwide medical care budget. In 1999 Betty and Matt moved to the former Soviet Union, where she served God's Kingdom as a nurse for six years until serious illness brought her back to the U.S. and to Richmond. Betty leaves this earthly life with enduring legacies that are both physical and spiritual. In addition to her devoted husband, Betty leaves son, Matt C.C. Bristol IV and his wife, Katja, and their children, Isabelle Sophie and Matt V, of Arlington, Va.; and her daughter, Allison Willis Powell and her husband, Justin, and their children, Alexis Grace, Annabelle Hope and Noah Lee, now in church planting ministry near Dallas, Texas. Betty's only sibling, her "big brother" James Robert Hess, passed into eternity just a year ago. Betty was actively engaged in ministry in the Richmond area, including service as a nurse consultant with the International Mission Board, as board member of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Greater Richmond, as a longtime member of the Board of Central Asian Partners, and as ministry partner to her husband at Redemption Hill Church, where he serves as an elder and pastor. Her special joys were sharing how ordinary followers of Jesus, in the power and provision of God, can become strategically engaged around the world in Last Frontier Missions. She also loved ministering to the needs of the wonderful young adults who comprise the growing number of Redemption Hill Communities in the City of Richmond. Betty wanted to express her loving gratitude to God for the special and loving care she received from the nurses and staff at the Bon Secours St. Mary's Outpatient Infusion Center, to Dr. Susan Schaffer and nurse practitioner, Dianne Wall of Oncology Associates at St. Mary's, to Dr. George Parker and his nurse, Mary, at Commonwealth Surgeons, and to Dr. Vinod Ravi and all the staff at the Sarcoma Center at M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She also wanted to thank Bon Secours Hospice, especially nurse, Tricia Martin, for her loving care until the end. A graveside service will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, February 4, in Hollywood Cemetery, followed by a celebration of life at 3:30 p.m. at Redemption Hill Church, 400 W. 32nd St. in Richmond. Following the services, there will be a

time of fellowship. Betty


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.