b. November 29, 1929
by Katherine Paramore Carman Field, Christ Episcopal Church, New Bern, NC, 2016
Bettye Paramore (in pink) with Bettye Jo, Katherine, Walter, and Walter, Jr.
Born a Baptist, Bettye chose to become an Episcopalian in 1950, when she joined Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill where she was living with husband Walter, a student at the university. After Walter graduated, the couple lived briefly in Dunn, attending St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Erwin, then on to Fayetteville where they attended a new church called Holy Trinity. Their oldest child was the first baby baptized in that parish. The family moved to New Bern in 1952 and joined Christ Church. Their active membership in the church has lasted over 64 years, and is still going strong.
Participating in daily church life and performing service for the church quickly became a priority for Bettye. During the 1950s she got involved with the Women’s Altar Guild and stayed on for 50 years – an enormous accomplishment. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s she was active in the Episcopal Church Women’s group and her church chapter, and at various times was elected to lead both. Bettye was a popular choice because she was a quiet but energetic leader who got the job done without tooting her horn or ruffling feathers. Bettye was always happy to let others take the lead, as long as the right things were done for the good of the church.
No job was too big or too small for Bettye. At one point, during the 1970s, she was charged with keeping the church kitchen stocked. In typical Bettye fashion, she took on this task with quiet efficiency. It was a small thing, but so appreciated by the ministry and congregation. When friends in the church organized “Pass the Plate,” the wildly popular cookbook, Bettye supported by submitting a recipe and bought lots of copies. These were the years when Mr. Sharp served as rector, and Bettye’s involvement with the church blossomed under kind encouragement and sunny nature. She especially loved the services when Mr. Sharp sang the communion.
As Bettye grew older, the children moved away, and Reverend Sharp neared retirement, Bettye’s relationship with the church changed. Previously her involvement had been to take on roles that involved tasks, but now she shifted focus to her relationship with God. She began reading devotionals and studying the Bible. Bettye and Walter trained as Stephen Ministers. Bettye was a natural because of her kind nature, empathy, ability to listen, and deep faith in God. She applied what she learned to help others within and outside the church. When Bettye and Walter joined a church-sponsored trip to the Holy Land in their mid-seventies, her spiritual connection with God deepened again, as she found stronger reverence experiencing Christ’s world and sharing it with other Episcopalians.
Bettye continues to live her life as an Episcopalian, still active in the Daughters of the King and attending Bible study class. Now 86, Bettye maintains unwavering devotion, love of God and commitment to Christ Church. As an Episcopalian devoted to helping others, she provides a role model for those seeking this same path.