Elizabeth Beal Garner

1933 - 2023

Elizabeth Beal Garner
April 14, 1933 - December 15, 2022
Charlotte, North Carolina - Elizabeth Beal Garner was claimed by Heaven on December 15, 2022. The daughter of Claire Shouse Beal and Harold Francis Beal, Betty was born on April 14, 1933 in Jacksonville, Florida as the youngest of six children. She was educated at the Bartram School and Marymount College (now Marymount College of Fordham University) in Tarrytown, New York. While in close proximity to New York City, Betty received training in interior design there, mastering the use of color and all its components.
Upon her return to Jacksonville, Florida, Betty taught kindergarten. It was in Jacksonville that she met Lieutenant Commander Frederic H. (Ted) Garner, a young pilot who was stationed at the Naval Air Station. They were married in 1957. The couple moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where Ted completed his education at the University of Virginia. They soon settled in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where they raised their three children, Ann Butler, Harold Beal (Chip), and Frederic Howard, IV (Ted). There, Betty was active at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the Junior League of Winston-Salem.
The Garners lived in Chapel Hill and Charlotte before settling in Banner Elk, North Carolina in 1975. Betty remained busy as a free lance interior designer throughout her adulthood. After the untimely death of her husband, she opened her own design business, Betty Garner Interiors, and worked for over 25 years making her clients' homes beautiful.
As an active member of The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Valle Crucis, NC, Betty was appointed to the Vestry and participated in the Order of the Daughters of the King. She devoted time to fundraising for Crossnore Communities for Children and literacy programs in Avery County, NC.
Gifted with a perfectionist's eye for color, Betty was an avid gardener, propagating native plants and perennials on her mountainside garden. It was not unusual for her to travel the two laned roads of western North Carolina with trowel and pot. It could be a harrowing stop along the mountain roadside to "transplant" some unusual plant species. But her results were spectacular.
Betty was most alive in the company of her friends and family. She enjoyed putting together picnics and dinner parties. Her surprise covered dish featuring a real rubber chicken always prompted hearty laughter. She could wield a wooden spoon effectively to prepare pots of vegetable beef soup for hungry skiers or to get the attention of cheeky children.
Betty was a life-long tennis player. She was proud of her skill. House parties devoted to tennis and hiking were a particular joy.
Throughout her life, Betty excelled in making her own house a lovely home for her husband and children. Her passion was interior design. She was an accomplished painter and an occasional sculptor. She enjoyed flower arranging. Multiple travels to the British Isles, France and Italy broadened her education in and appreciation of traditional design.
Betty relocated to Charlotte in 2006 to be closer to her family. She attended Christ Episcopal Church where she enjoyed the Sages group and educational classes. She loved reconnecting with long time friends and befriending newcomers to The Cypress of Charlotte.
Betty is survived by her three children- Ann Garner Covington (Matthew), Harold Beal (Chip) Garner (Julie), and Frederic Howard (Ted) Garner- eleven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and 21 nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Friday. April 28, 2023 at 11 AM at Christ Episcopal Church on Providence Road. Expressions of sympathy can be made to The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross, PO Box 659, Valle Crucis, NC 28691.