Betty Jean Eaves

Published 1:50 pm Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Betty Jean Eaves left this world on January 15th. Betty was the brightest, funniest, biggest-hearted person you could ever meet. She loved to garden and she made the world beautiful. If you happened to be at the movies with her, you would have certainly heard her big laugh and maybe ice clinking in her diet coke as she relished each sip with a loud, “Ahhh.” She wasn’t shy. She made friends wherever she went from California to New York City. In fact, she was once in the audience for a show her granddaughter was in. Bill Clinton also happened to be in the audience as well. She marched right up to him after the show and shook his hand. Three years later, by chance, she was at the same theatre with the same granddaughter, and, would you believe it, Bill Clinton was again in attendance. She marched right up and before she had a chance to introduce herself, he said, “I remember you.” She was like that. Memorable. She was fiercely hilarious. She was a nanny in her later years, “Aunt Betty”, and impacted the lives of children all over Lexington. She had a child-like spirit and an unparalleled sense of fun that was infectious to children and adults alike. She often joked about joining the famous Irish dancing troupe, River Dance. But her greatest quality, no doubt, for all that got the great pleasure of meeting her (and I do feel sorry for those who did not), was her heart. It is said of some that they are big-hearted. If there were a competition, she might win. She left a wake of love in her path. She was a wife to Kenneth. Mother to Cathy Austin-Frey (husband Jeffrey Frey) and Marlon Austin. Grandmother to Jessica Frey (husband Max Eddy), Great-Grandmother (aka Gigi) to Margot Eddy, and beloved “Aunt Betty” to Darren and Mark Henderson and their families. I speak for us all when I say, to be loved by Betty was a gift. We will miss her dearly. No service or memorial is planned. In her honor, plant some tulips, she would like that. To share a remembrance of Betty or to offer condolences to her family, please visit milwardfuneral.com to sign the tribute portion of her obituary page.