HEATHSVILLE—Betty Anne Burroughs, nee Cline, 96 of Heathsville passed away on April 10, 2023, after a long illness.
Betty was born on June 30, 1926, to Sallie Ann Deputy and James Neff Cline, in Washington, D.C. Her parents were from the Shenandoah Valley and she spent summers in Waynesboro with her aunts and uncles. It was her home away from home and remained so her entire life.
She graduated from McKinley High School where she studied secretarial science. After graduation she became the executive secretary to the president of the Aircraft Industries Association.
Betty had an accomplished soprano voice, and studied under Elena Page, a well-known voice teacher in the Washington area who later became her mother-in-law. She performed frequently in the metro area.
In 1948, she married Russell Burroughs and moved to Northern Virginia. She gave up the opportunity to sing professionally to become a wife and mother. In 1977, the family moved to Reedville and Betty returned to secretarial work, first at Huff and Puff Pet Foods and later at Little River Seafood. She sang in the choirs at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Fleeton, Bethany Methodist in Reedville, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal in Heathsville. She loved to sing in Handel’s Messiah; and her favorite song was Ave Maria.
Betty was a kind, gracious, unselfish and thankful individual who always put the needs of others ahead of her own. She loved her family, to sing, the Shenandoah Valley and going to dog shows with her daughter. She was always a lady.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Burroughs; brothers, James and William Cline; and sister, Gene Cline Simon.
She is survived by her daughter, Dawn Mahaffey Kelley; son-in-law, Lyman Kelley; her grandson, Justin Fulcher; daughter-in-law, Melissa Fulcher; great-grandsons, Braxton and Harrison Fulcher of Reedville; nephew, Paul Simon; and niece, Sally Ann Price (Joe); great nephews, Erik and Mark Price of Silver Spring, Md.; and first cousin, John “Jack” Deputy (Joyce) of Richmond.
A viewing will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, at Currie Funeral Home, Kilmarnock. Funeral Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, April 21, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, with internment to follow in the church cemetery. The internment will be followed by a brief Celebration of Life in the parish house.
