Dr. Charles Samuel Betts

Charles Samuel Betts, age 86, died on November 6, 2011 after a brief illness. Born on September 21, 1925 in Monroe, Louisiana, he grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was a veteran of the Army in the Pacific theatre in WWII. Charles graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School and trained at the Mayo Clinic. He was a physician, psychiatrist, and entrepreneur. Although he was recruited to UAMS, he spent most of his professional life in private practice. Through his efforts, he developed the facility that would eventually become The BridgeWay Hospital in North Little Rock, as well as the property that houses Timber Ridge Neuro-Rehabilitation Ranch in Benton. He loved his native Arkansas. Among his many interests were viniculture and astronomy. In later life, he would turn to writing genealogies and, eventually, fiction. His sixty-one year marriage to Mary Nash Betts was his greatest joy. In addition to Mary, he is survived by three children: Leah Saunders Pesce, Charles Ross Betts, and Craig McCandlish Betts, as well as their spouses Vince, Lynn, and Claire. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 1000 North Mississippi Avenue Little Rock 72207 at 10 AM on Saturday, November 19, with a reception to follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be given to the Arkansas Hospice Foundation. Online memorial and guest book at www.griffinleggettforesthills.com