Obituary for Mary B. Love (Bettis)
Mary Melinda Bettis Love, born March 18, 1945, passed away April 13, 2022, in Louisville, KY, after a brief illness. She is survived by her sister Martha Bettis Gee (Bill), her sister-in-law Mary Pirtle Bettis, her nieces and nephews, Dr. Megan Pillow, Amelia Pillow, Jonathan E. Bettis (Brett), Dr. Alexandra H. Bettis (Tom), and Matthew F. Bettis (Emily), her great nephews Atticus and Silas, and extended family.
Mary was born in Oak Ridge, TN and was a graduate of Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) and Columbia Theological Seminary and an ordained Presbyterian minister. While she ministered to two churches early in her career, held jobs at several other places, including the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s national headquarters, and served as a poll worker and in various roles at her home church (Crescent Hill Presbyterian) including as parish associate, Mary found her passion and her life’s work when she decided to take her spiritual service to the community.
Mary was a fierce warrior for environmental justice and human rights who devoted herself to protecting the land, water, and people of Central Appalachia. She was an active member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth’s Land Reform Committee, New Energy and Transition Committee, and Air Quality Team. At KFTC, Mary held many leadership roles, including the Leadership Development Committee, Steering Committee, and Executive Committee. She was also a coordinating member of the national network that focuses on Extreme Energy Extraction. Mary served several years with the Alliance for Appalachia’s Coordinating Committee, was an integral part of Alliance Steering meetings, and was a spokesperson and grassroots lobbyist in campaigns for clean energy, against mountaintop removal mining, and much more.
Mary approached her life with matter-of-factness and humor. She adored her nieces, nephews, great nephews, and her cats. She relished being the go-to person at conferences who could help out her KFTC friends. One of her favorite things in the world was a long car ride, especially one through the Appalachian mountains. She believed, in the end, that she had lived a good life. And she knew that while we cannot do it all, we can all do something to make this world a better place.
There will be a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 15th, 2022 at Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, Mary would appreciate a donation to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth or The Alliance for Appalachia.
Mary was born in Oak Ridge, TN and was a graduate of Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) and Columbia Theological Seminary and an ordained Presbyterian minister. While she ministered to two churches early in her career, held jobs at several other places, including the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s national headquarters, and served as a poll worker and in various roles at her home church (Crescent Hill Presbyterian) including as parish associate, Mary found her passion and her life’s work when she decided to take her spiritual service to the community.
Mary was a fierce warrior for environmental justice and human rights who devoted herself to protecting the land, water, and people of Central Appalachia. She was an active member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth’s Land Reform Committee, New Energy and Transition Committee, and Air Quality Team. At KFTC, Mary held many leadership roles, including the Leadership Development Committee, Steering Committee, and Executive Committee. She was also a coordinating member of the national network that focuses on Extreme Energy Extraction. Mary served several years with the Alliance for Appalachia’s Coordinating Committee, was an integral part of Alliance Steering meetings, and was a spokesperson and grassroots lobbyist in campaigns for clean energy, against mountaintop removal mining, and much more.
Mary approached her life with matter-of-factness and humor. She adored her nieces, nephews, great nephews, and her cats. She relished being the go-to person at conferences who could help out her KFTC friends. One of her favorite things in the world was a long car ride, especially one through the Appalachian mountains. She believed, in the end, that she had lived a good life. And she knew that while we cannot do it all, we can all do something to make this world a better place.
There will be a memorial service at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 15th, 2022 at Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, Mary would appreciate a donation to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth or The Alliance for Appalachia.