Betty Wellborn
Betty Louise Clark Wellborn (February 20, 1927 – May 26, 2022)
On behalf of the Wellborn family, it is with deepest sorrow that I inform you of the passing of my grandmother, Betty Louise Clark Wellborn. Betty was born on February 20, 1927 and died on May 26th, 2022, at the age of 95. Betty was born and raised in Lexington, KY and married the boy next door, Johnson “Jack” Powell Wellborn Jr. (deceased 2008). Betty and Jack lived in many cities and states, including Bradenton FL where they built and lived aboard a wooden sailboat with their three children for many years.
Betty was an accomplished banking officer for numerous institutions, including Westside National Bank in Bradenton. After Jack’s death, Betty settled in Dunedin, FL with her daughter, Rebecca Wellborn, and her son Johnson “Beau” Powell Wellborn III later followed. She travelled extensively and made wonderful friends while living with her children. She passed peacefully at home, with them by her side, after suffering a hip fracture while picking flowers.
Obituaries are a way we announce the death and sum up the accomplishments of the deceased one. It would be irrational to believe that all of Betty’s accomplishments could be summed up in one article. She had many roles in life; daughter, sister, cousin, mother, grandmother, wife, friend, bank officer, first mate, biography consumer, gardener, and lover of all things Kentucky. Betty made an impression on everyone she encountered, and because she was who she was, she tended to these relationships. She tended to her relationships as she tended to her flower gardens, carefully, consistently, and unconditionally. Betty had a love for all things classically beautiful, the ocean, a hand-written card, pearls, and a well-set table. She had the ability to make small moments full of magic. My forever goal is to acquire enough grace to make others feel the same way my grandmother allowed me to feel.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Jack, 11th Airborne Division infantry and 101st Airborne Division paratrooper, and daughter Elizabeth Victoria Wellborn. She is survived by her daughter Rebecca, of Dunedin FL, her son Beau, of Dunedin, FL, her granddaughter Whitney Wellborn Geohagan (Mark), of Andalusia, AL, and two great-granddaughters Sophie and Marlee Kate, of Andalusia. A Celebration of Life will be held June 29th in Dunedin.
In remembrance of Betty, take a moment today to send someone a handwritten reminder of how important they are.
Damn that flower.
Whitney Wellborn Geohagan