Roxie Elizabeth "Betty" Meeks

Roxie Elizabeth (Betty) Smith Meeks was welcomed into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on January 29, 2026.
She was two weeks shy of celebrating her 83rd birthday. Betty was born in Salisbury, NC to Ernest Hobart Smith and Elma McCubbins Smith, and was the sister to Terry, Paul and Virginia. Her parents, Terry and Paul all preceded her in death. At the age of 19, Betty met Joseph Andrew Meeks when they both worked at Carolina Tire Company. Ten weeks later they were married. Shortly after their wedding, Joe was drafted into the Army and the couple moved to Yorktown, VA while Joe was stationed at Fort Eustis. They loved the area so much that they decided to settle down, start a family, and have been in Yorktown for the past 63 years. Betty is survived by her devoted husband, Joe; a daughter, Traci Hardee (Richard) of Winston-Salem, NC; a son, Andy (Heidi) of Albany, GA; six grandchildren, Andrew Hardee (Ali), Caleb Hardee (Deona), Ben Hardee (Elizabeth), Griffin Meeks (Tori), Grayson Meeks, and Maddie Grace Meeks; two great-grandsons, William Hays Hardee and Micah Joseph Hardee; her sister, Virginia Furnas; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and a large community of friends.
Prior to having children, Betty worked as a secretary. After Traci and Andy were born, she enjoyed being a homemaker and stay-at-home mom. Once they entered college, she briefly returned to the workforce where she held various positions for York County at the Administrative office, Sherriff's office, and the public library.
Joe and Betty have been long-term, faithful members of Bethel Baptist Church in Yorktown. She served as the secretary of their Sunday School class for many years. Each week she emailed the class informing them of prayer requests, special needs, and job assignments. She also sent a daily devotional not only to class members, but also to friends and family. One friend commented "our class will miss her in so many ways. She was the glue who held our class together." In 2008 she read the novel, Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright. That inspired her to present a Christmas Jar collection project to their class. Throughout the entire year, class members would faithfully bring their loose coins and bills each week. Once the year was complete, their class would have collected multiple mason jars filled with approximately $100-$200 in change. The class would then decide which families in the community to bless with a Christmas Jar. It is believed that their class has collected and distribute over $12,000 since that time.
Betty loved her family deeply and treasured every opportunity that she had to be with them. Since her children and grandchildren all live out of state, she was very grateful for the many friends she considered as close as family. She had the gift of hospitality and loved welcoming friends, both new and old, into her home to eat. One friend shared that no one ever left Betty's house hungry. Not only did she enjoy cooking, but she loved having people over to play games – cards, dominos, and Rummy Cube were among her favorites. Family and friends will gather at Bethel Baptist Church on Saturday, February 7th, to remember and celebrate Betty's life. Visitation will begin at 1:00pm, followed by the service, led by Dr. Doug Echols, Senior Pastor, at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages any donations to be given to the ministry of Bethel Baptist Church, 1004 Yorktown Road, Yorktown, VA 23693, or to the Peninsula Rescue Mission, 3700 Huntington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607.