Betty Jean Swaim Ramsey

BETTY JEAN SWAIM RAMSEY, 89, was born in England, Ark., on Jan. 8, 1928. She was the third daughter of James Ed and Lillie Swaim, who were partners in the Cunning-Swaim Mercantile Store which figured prominently in the resolution of the first food crisis of the depression that erupted in England in 1931, as a result of the drought of 1930. According to eyewitness accounts, when starving farmers converged on England there was no violence, and the possibility of a riot was averted, due to the generosity of England's store owners. Betty married William H. Ramsey of Atlanta, Texas in 1948, and had three sons, Thomas, Dennis, and William. Betty earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education in 1948 from Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway (now University of Central Arkansas). She taught school for a short time before having children. In the 1940s Betty was twice runner-up in the Miss-Arkansas Beauty Pageant. She worked for a short time as a fashion model. Betty enjoyed cooking and travel, and during her 68-year marriage to Colonel Bill Ramsey, they lived in Hawaii before statehood, Washington DC, South Carolina, California, and Japan in the 1970s. She always learned local arts and foods wherever they lived. In Hawaii, she learned hula dancing and traditional music, and in Japan she learned Ikebana flower arranging, and Japanese tea ceremony. Betty and Bill retired in 1973 and moved to Indian Hills, North Little Rock. Betty was very musical, performing in vocal groups such as the Skylarks and the Melodettes. She was choral director of Skylarks for many years, sang regularly as a soloist in the Park Hill Baptist Church choir, and also played piano until suffering a stroke in 1990. Two of her sons are musicians. Betty will be remembered as a loving mother who was always supportive, cheerful, stylish, and generous. She is survived by her eldest sister, Lillian Robinson, 94, of Little Rock, her children: Thomas and wife Jeannie of Houston, Dennis and wife Rinku and their daughter Electra of Eugene, Ore., and William of Austin, Texas, granddaughter Alexandra Ramsey-Powell of Bela Vista, as well as great-granddaughter, Briley Powell. She is loved and remembered by her many nieces and nephews: Jeannie and Dickie Wallace and their children Christy and Scott and their children Korbin, Cody, and Greyson; Dr. Jay Holland and his wife Kaye, and children Katherine, Jennifer, Nora, and grandson Zac; Edward and Anna Swaim and their sons James Phillip and John Edward; Christian and Kim Swaim and their children Connor, Joseph, and Kaitlin; Matthew Swaim and his children Allie and Andrew. Viewing will be held Wednesday, July 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Smith Funeral home, 1921 N. Maine St., in North Little Rock. Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 13, at 10:30 a.m. at Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock. Burial service will be noon at the Arkansas State veterans Cemetery, 1501 W. Maryland Ave., North Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock or Arkansas Hospice, 14 Parkstone Cir., North Little Rock, 72116. Online guest registry at www.SmithFamilyCares.com.