Sarah Jane Betty McPherson

Mrs. Sarah Jane Betty McPherson, 60, died Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006. The Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m., at St. Peter's Catholic Church, Greenville, with the Pastor, Fr. Justin Kerber, C.P., celebrant. A resident of Greenville since 1984, Sarah served as a pastoral associate at St. Peter's Catholic Church. She began being employed by St. Peter's School as a teacher of English in 1985. Due to her superior communication skills, she was invited to be a member of the church staff as director of Faith Formation. For the past 19 years she has generously served St. Peter's in this capacity. In that role, she has supervised the religious education programs for the children of the parish including the C.C.D. program, the Middle School Ministry and the annual Vacation Bible School. Her primary responsibility has been faith formation of adults. This included conducting all the Catholic Inquiry Classes, directing the Catechumenate, initiating adult education programs and leading the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Through her ministry in Greenville, more than 400 adults have been received into the Roman Catholic Church. She has been recognized by the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh as an outstanding catechist and has served on the Deanery Council for more than 15 years. The Passionist Community, whose priests serve at St. Peter's, has recognized her as an outstanding Lay Associate. This past May at Mt. Pocono, Penn., she was given the St. Paul of the Cross Award for outstanding lay ministry in the eastern United States. The entire parish community and staff of St. Peter's Church and School mourn her passing. Sarah was born Sept. 5, 1946, in Washington D.C., the daughter of Guy Walter Betty and Frances Jane Cross Betty. She has one sister, Mary Helen Church, and one brother Thomas Joseph Betty. She attended Catholic Elementary Schools in Wheaton, Md. She graduated from The Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington, Md, an all-girls Catholic school, in 1964, as valedictorian of her class. After high school, on a full electrical engineering scholarship, she attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. She transferred to the University of Maryland, majoring in special education with a minor in mathematics, where she received a bachelor of science degree in 1969. In the fall of that year, as a graduate assistant, she began her work on a masters degree in special education. She also received certification as a catechist and has done extensive studies in Theology. She met William McPherson in September of 1971. They were married June 10, 1972. Bill and Sarah moved to Bellingham, Wash., in August of 1972 and started their family. Sarah considered her family to be her finest work and accomplishment. Sarah is survived by her husband, Dr. William H. McPherson, retired associate dean of the College of Technology and Computer Science, East Carolina University, Greenville. They have five children, two sons, Guy Walter McPherson, his wife, Shannon, of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Andrew Stone McPherson, of Weaverville, three daughters, Katherine McPherson Yarrow, her husband, Chris, and daughter, Addisen, of Raleigh, Margaret McPherson Lowrance, her husband, Matthew, of Fletcher, and Elizabeth Marie McPherson, of Atlanta, Ga. She also is survived by her sister, Mary Helen, her husband, Bob, of Grand Junction, Colo., and her brother, Thomas, and his wife, Frances, of Cockeysville, Md. Visiting hours with a wake service and rosary will be at St. Peter's Catholic Church from 7-9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 25. Funeral Mass will be on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m., at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 2700 Fourth St., Greenville. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Peter's Catholic Church to the Columbarium fund.