Betty Lindsey Epley Brookshire

Betty Lindsey Epley Brookshire died peacefully at home on January 17, 2015, surrounded by family and friends. She had lived eighty-eight years. Born to Ted and Lyda Lindsey on April 9, 1926, Betty grew up in the Enka Village where she made many life-long friends. She attended Sand Hill School where she participated in a variety of activities, including varsity basketball. Upon graduation in April, 1943, Betty took a job at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., in the Fingerprint Division, where she worked for a year. After returning home she began working at the American Enka Plant where she would work, on and off, for the next forty years, primarily in the Payroll Department. Betty was married to Preston Epley from 1949 until his death in 1957 and Thomas Brookshire from 1959 until his death in 2000. She and Tom raised four sons and spent their time supporting the activities of Enka High School and Enka Baptist Church, where Betty taught Sunday school and sang in the choir. After she retired from American Enka's successor company, BASF, in 1987, Betty spent her retirement years enjoying her family and friends and supporting her community, including leading courses for over eleven years in the Bible Study Fellowship series offered at West Asheville Baptist Church. In addition to her parents and husbands, Betty was preceded in death by a brother, James William Lindsey of Columbus, GA and a sister, Margaret Presley, of Arden. Her surviving siblings are Catherine Queen and her husband Bob, of Hamilton, OH; Joan Fisher and her husband, Don, of Enka; and Jack Lindsey and his wife, Beverly, of St. Petersburg, FL. Betty is also survived by her four sons and their families, which include Betty's ten grandchildren. The sons are Robert Epley and wife Kathryn of Salem, SC; David Epley and wife Barbara of Weaverville; Ted Epley and wife Tammy, of College Station, TX; and Tom Brookshire, Jr. and wife Carol, of Candler. In her life Betty was a faithful wife, a devoted mother and a devout Christian. She was fiercely loyal to her family, her church and her country. Her passing leaves a void in the hearts of those who loved her which will only be filled by their cherished memories of her. May she rest in eternal peace. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Enka Baptist Church, with the Rev. G. Scott Lynch officiating. Interment will follow at Pisgah View Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Groce Funeral Home, Patton Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813, or to the Alzheimers Association, Western Carolina Chapter, 3800 Shamrock Dr., Charlotte, NC 28215.