Virginia Beach, VA – Bette Ann Cooper Drewry, 71, passed away Monday evening, August 24, 2009, at her home. At the end she was surrounded by love with her children.

She was born September 30, 1937 in Fort Worth, TX. She was the only daughter of Boyd Cooper and Mabel Cooper Guenther. Bette was a graduate of Paschal High School and the University of Arkansas where she earned her undergraduate and master’s degree in Spanish. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, editor of the Preview, and was named to the Arkansas Who’s Who her senior year.

Bette was a member of Epworth United Methodist Church. She joined Epworth after a quarter of a century membership in Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville, TN. She read and studied John Wesley’s history with love and devotion.

She loved reading, gardening and working outside, and traveling. She visited Kenya twice and fell in love with Africa. She loved the land, the people, and the stories of Kenya.

She was predeceased by her parents. Her mother died at age 105 and Bette had personally cared for her mother for over the last 20 years of her life. She is survived by a son, William B. Drewry and his wife Katherine Martin of Atlanta; a daughter, Bette Cathleen Grieve and her husband Eric of Portsmouth; and a youngest daughter, Leslie Ann Currey and her husband Brian of Nairobi, Kenya. She is also survived by seven grandchildren that she loved and adored: Emily Grace, William Cooper, John Ford Jack, Alice Elizabeth, Eleanor Ann, Colin Henry, and Charlotte Cathleen. Bette spent her entire life taking care of her children, her mother, and her cats. She was always there for her friends and neighbors, especially in Fort Worth.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Portsmouth Humane Society, Epworth United Methodist Church, or the American Cancer Society. A private graveside ceremony will be held at a later date in Fort Worth. The Cremation Society of Virginia is handling arrangements.