Betty Carol Huggins Arnette

Betty Carol Huggins Arnette

Betty Carol Huggins Arnette, 81, of Leland, N.C., gently passed away on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, after an extended illness. She was surrounded by many friends and family on the days prior to her passing.

She was born on July 22, 1944, in Lumberton to the late George Ross Huggins Jr., of High Point, N.C., and the late Eleanor Walters Lindsay, of Burgaw, N.C. She graduated from Lumberton High School and worked for many years for Belk and Jasper Textiles in Lumberton, before following her dream and moving to the N.C. coast. There she joined the Sharon United Methodist Church, where she loved serving her Lord and Savior and her community. She had many passions including gardening, crafting, cooking, traveling (she loved sharing memories of her trips to Europe) and spending time with friends and family. She doted on her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids; she enjoyed nothing more than taking them to her favorite shelling spots on Holden Beach. There she showed her prowess at spotting the best shells, and her many shell collections are a testament to that.

Betty was a devoted and amazingly loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She touched many lives and formed friendships that lasted her lifetime. If you needed help, she was never one to say no, whether you were family, friends or a stranger. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten. Her beauty, her heart and her soul will live on in us all.

Betty is survived by her husband of 60-plus years, Walter "Tom" Arnette Sr. of the home; her children, Anne Arnette of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., LaDonna Sotello (Pete) of Atascadero, Calif., Tom Arnette Jr (Karmen) of Camden, N.C., and Rebecca Bass (Paul) of Supply, N.C.; her sisters, Jo Ellen Hickman (Ed) of Wilmington, N.C., Martha Tudie Boyles (Jim) of Thomasville, N.C., Kim Feltes, of Rural Hall, N.C., and Lisa LaPrade (Jim) of Pleasant Garden, N.C.; her brother, Thomas Elwood Lindsay, of Burgaw, N.C.; nine grandchildren (Ashley, Justin, Courtney, Brittany, Anthony, Emma, Ruby, Steven and Nicolas) and 14 great grandchildren (Jaiden, Logan, Gage, Dawson, Weylynn, Landon, Elijah, Silas, Liam, Wesley, Hailey Jo, Connor, Lainey Grace and Jaxon); and countless nieces, nephews and friends.

In addition to her parents, Betty was also preceded in death by her beloved grandparents who raised her, Henry Douglas Walters and Elizabeth "Lizzy" Howell Walters of Lumberton; her sister and brother-in-law, Frances and Carlton Britt of Lumberton; her step-father, Legrand "Bud" Lindsay, of Burgaw, N.C. and her nephew, Carlton Lee Britt Jr. of Lumberton.

The family will hold a small memorial service in the coming weeks, with a Celebration of Life to be scheduled in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Lower Cape Fear Hospice House in Bolivia, N.C.