Betty Ruth (Martin) Young, 93, of Harrison, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 5, 2023.  She was at home surrounded by those who loved her.

She was born June 12, 1929, in Harrison, Arkansas, to Brice and Eula (Norman) Martin.  She was a dedicated member of First Christian Church and the Hearthstone Class for over 70 years.  She was also a member of the Rally Hill Friendship Club.

She married the love of her life, Leon Young, on December 15, 1956.  They celebrated their 66 ^th anniversary before her passing.

Betty graduated from Bellefonte School in 1948 and was an All-Star on the Bellefonte Owls basketball team. She continued to further her education at St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock.  She graduated in 1954 with an RN and received high scores on her nursing boards.

Betty worked for the Boone County Hospital in the surgery department.  She then went to work for Dr.'s Gladden and Williams.  Later, she worked for Ozark Opportunities before retiring to stay home with her family.

If you ever visited with Betty, you left her house with a dish rag or a scarf that she spent time to knit.  As soon as the weather warmed up, you could find Betty camping at the lake with all her friends and family.

Her favorite thing to do with her husband was travel the country.  Together, with friends, they took bus tours from Niagara Falls to San Francisco.  Leon and Betty toured the White House and the Capitol when Bill Clinton was President. The Youngs were avid Cardinal fans and made sure to pass that on to their kids and grandkids.  One time during one of several trips to St. Louis, in the early 60's, they rode on an elevator with Dizzy Dean while he was in town with Pee Wee Reece for the game of the week at Sportsman Park before it was Busch Stadium.  One of Leon's favorite memories with Betty is traveling between here, Nashville, TN, and Tulsa, OK, to see some of their favorite country music artists, Boots Randolph, Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins, Conway Twitty, and Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass.

Betty had many hobbies, but her favorite was spending time with her grandkids.  From cooking to playing dominoes and puzzles, to just spending time outside, she devoted all the time she had to pouring out all the love she had for them.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Jo Reta Mathis; and her brothers, Norman Martin (Shirley) and Floyd Lee Martin; and a niece, Susan Eikenberry.

Betty is survived by her husband, Leon Young; daughter, Janet (Larry) Graddy of Harrison, and son, Paul Young of Morrilton; five grandkids, Josh Graddy, Scott (Jessica) Graddy, Erica (Thanh) Ketchum, Ashley Young, and Kelsey (Matt) Brown; nine great grandchildren; her younger sister, Phyllis Young; sisters-in-law, Verna Martin and Katie Martin, and numerous nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Funeral service will be at 2 PM, Thursday, March 9 at First Christian Church in Harrison.  Burial will follow at Maplewood Cemetery.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 pm to 8 pm at Coffman Funeral Home in Harrison.

Pallbearers are Josh Graddy, Terry Young, Dale Martin, Granvel Murray, Scott Graddy, Spencer Graddy, Trevor Graddy, and Matt Brown.

Honorary pallbearers are Randy Anderson, Mark Young, Hearthstone Sunday School Class, Bill Magness, Matt Magness, Dr. Tom and Cindy Langston, and Mike and Bobbie (Pangle) Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials made to Hearthstone Sunday School Class c/o First Christian Church, 915 S. Maple, Harrison, Arkansas, 72601.

The family would like to thank the nurses with Hospice of the Hills for their gentle care of Betty for the last few months, as well as Dr. Tom Langston and Cindy.  Also, a special thanks to Sandy Anderson for all her love and support.

On-line condolences can be left at www.coffmanfh.com .