Betty Bonser McKemie

Betty Bonser McKemie died March 17 in Asheville, NC, surrounded by family. Her loving and generous spirit has blessed three generations of her children, extended family and many friends.

Betty was born on April 10, 1926, in London, England, the third child of Evelyn Villiers and Charles Gordon Bonser, Esq. Raised Anglican, she had firm convictions about seeking spiritual guidance. From childhood she studied music and art, and eventually became a dedicated painter. When England entered WWII, her older brothers became RAF pilots. During the Blitz, her family evacuated to the countryside; she studied independently and passed matriculation exams at 16. Betty then worked as secretary to a wartime trade group authorized to standardize radio receivers and transmitters. She commuted to London by train with her father, a solicitor at the Inns of Court.

In 1944, Betty met a U.S. Army Medical Corps officer stationed in England and they fell deeply in love. At war’s end, she married Dr. William Frank McKemie in the parish church of Shiplake-on-Thames. In spring 1946, Betty arrived in New York Harbor on a ship of British “war brides” with a heavy load of classical LP records. In her new home in Albany, Georgia, she left the Anglican communion to join the Methodist church, and was soon a naturalized U.S. citizen. Betty became known as a compassionate woman who shared her love of life with everyone. For her volunteer work in the community, the local D.A.R. named her “Outstanding Citizen of the Year.” After her youngest child fell ill in first grade, she home-schooled him and persuaded the Board of Education to fund the first home-bound teacher in the school system. When civil rights protests began in Albany in 1963 and the public library was closed to prevent a sit-in, she enlisted several thousand parents to sign a petition that convinced the City Council to reopen the library. Taking a stand for equal rights, she set an example for others.

After their five children were adults, Betty and Frank moved to Avondale Estates, Georgia. There Betty shared her home with foreign exchange students; took in a wounded Bosnian war refugee and helped him start a business in Atlanta; and was an active member of the Decatur First United Methodist Church and the Atlanta Symphony Guild. She was a lifelong reader, a gifted artist, and to her children, an infallible moral compass.

Her surviving children are Dr. William Frank McKemie, Jr. (Jennifer), Nancy McKemie (Peter Maier), Eva McKemie Greene (Bradford), and Benjamin H.G. McKemie. Her eleven surviving grandchildren are Nathaniel Bradford Greene; Patrick Reardon; Katie McKemie Lillethun (Nate), Bettie McKemie Hill (Andrew); Gordon McKemie II, Sarah Marie McKemie (Daniel), and Margaret McKemie Lee (Jeremy); Sarai McKemie Stein (Moti), and Zoe, Devorah and Nitzan McKemie. Her 12 great-grandchildren are Lavi, Yahli, Ella, Shoham and Hadar Stein; Jude and Asa Lillethun; Sienna and Ryann Lee; Willa and Cullen Hill; and Henry McKemie. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. William Frank McKemie; three brothers: Alan Bonser of Atlanta, James Bonser of Albany, and John Bonser of London; her son Charles Gordon McKemie; and two grandchildren, Daniel Reardon, Jr. and Sallie McKemie.

A memorial service will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, April 15, at Decatur First United Methodist Church, 300 Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur GA, with reception following. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Decatur First UMC.

Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family with local arrangements.