Elizabeth Asbury

Elizabeth "Betty" Mackay Asbury died in her home at Clairmont Place Retirement Community on January 16, 2023, at the age of 94. Betty was born on March 21, 1928 in Athens, Alabama, the youngest of five children and the only daughter of Beulah Mason Mackay and the Reverend Edward George Mackay. She attended Druid Hills Elementary School and Druid Hills High School in Atlanta, graduating in 1945. She then went on to Wesleyan College in Macon, where she graduated in 1949 with a degree in sociology and a host of close friendships she maintained for life.

Betty was an exceptional swimmer and took pride in her fourteen AAU swimming medals. She always loved the water, cherishing her childhood summer vacations at Beacon Beach near Panama City, Florida, and her teen summers as a lifeguard at Camp Glisson near Dahlonega, Georgia.

In 1950, Betty married Frank Logan Asbury III. After a short career in social work with Fulton County, she began a lifelong career as wife, mother, homemaker, and community volunteer. She supported her four sons in their many athletic endeavors and encouraged her daughter in her musical pursuits.

Betty was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and great-aunt, always passionate about her growing extended family. Her energy and enthusiasm fostered years of Mackay family reunions encompassing four generations. She was an avid genealogist, dedicated to discovering her family's roots-which included a great amount of research, writing, and travels to Ireland, Scotland, and England.

Betty was active for many years on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta nonprofit Families First. She served faithfully at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, which she joined as a teenager in 1940. She remained an active member of the Glenn family-and a wealth of institutional wisdom-for the rest of her life. She was known for training those who read Scripture in worship, and provided a model example with her own dynamic, deliberate recitations from the church lectern.

Education was incredibly important to Betty. In 1984, she joined the historic Wednesday Morning Study Club, founded in 1907, whose members write and present a comprehensive research paper on an assigned topic every three years. Betty pursued her Master of Theological Studies degree from Emory University's Candler School of Theology part-time for a number of years. She graduated in 1997, and was recognized as the oldest Emory University graduate that year at age 69. She also trained and served as a lay chaplain through the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Emory University Hospital.

In their retirement years, Betty and Frank traveled far and wide, but always returned to the family vacation spots closest to their hearts, on St. Andrews Bay in Panama City, Florida, and on Lake Apalachia in Western North Carolina. At home in Atlanta, Betty could often be found gardening, bird watching, or hosting family and friends. Her warmth, wit, and welcoming nature were evident to all who knew her well, and even to those who had only just met her.

In 2012, Betty and Frank moved to Clairmont Place and began enjoying life with many old and new friends. Betty served as president of the Clairmont Place Board and was proud of its accomplishments during her tenure. Her decade at Clairmont Place was filled with a rich and supportive community, as well as a meaningful partnership with her second husband, Bill Jackson.

Following a mild stroke last February, Betty was cared for with generosity and skill by a number of caregivers through TheKey. The family is especially grateful to MJ Johnson, Sheena Boone, Johnnie Primes, and Sheila Montas for their work in helping Betty remain in her home and among those she so dearly loved.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents and four brothers; her husband of 63 years, Frank Asbury; her second husband of three years, Bill Jackson; and her grandson, Sam Asbury. Survivors include her five children and their spouses: Logan Asbury (Marilyne), Mackay Asbury (Nancy), Mary Lynn Luke (John), David Asbury (Kelly), and Dan Asbury (Lee Anne); her grandchildren, Gabriel Asbury (Rebekah), Simon Asbury, Claire Asbury Lennox (Sean), Mason Asbury (Macie Lunyong), Ben Asbury, Grace Asbury, Brian Luke, Allison Luke, Austin Asbury, and Bryce Asbury; her great-grandchildren, Lily Asbury, Solomon and Katharine Francesca Asbury, Ian and Erin Lennox, and Grayson Bankston; and a host of nephews and nieces.

A graveside service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 11:00 AM in Decatur Cemetery. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 1:00 PM at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church with a reception to follow. The family will receive friends Friday, January 27, 2023 from 5-8 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Families First, or The Samuel L. Asbury Foundation. A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.