Betty Jane Jarrell Fincher was born March 9, 1936, in the Nixville community of Hampton County, SC. She was the second child and the first of five female children born to Oregon Thomas Jarrell and Enice Lightsey Jarrell. After graduation from Estill High School, she married Robert Louis Smith, Sr., who was an engineer graduate of Georgia Tech University. He held a position as an engineer with Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Corporation and was a Captain in the US Army Reserve. They had two children, Robert Louis Smith, Jr. and Carol Yvonne Smith. Betty was active in church and taught children’s Sunday School and helped start a mission church in Stuart, Florida where they resided. 

Tragically, her husband Robert was killed by a drunk driver in July of 1963. Betty and her children moved to Denmark, South Carolina to live by her in-laws and be closer to her family. Being a young mother of 27 years with two small children, she endeavored to go back to college at Southern Methodist University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. 

In 1965, she met Julian Hayes Fincher on a date with her two children. The children instantly loved him and encouraged their mother with her romance. They married on June 2, 1966, and Julian gave rings to his wife and the children and said he was “marrying the whole family”. They all moved to Oxford, Mississippi where she was a devoted wife to Julian who was a faculty member (and became head of the Pharmaceutics Department) at the University of Mississippi in the College of Pharmacy. Betty was very active in the Baptist church in Oxford teaching in the Children’s Department.

To the delight of the whole family, Betty had a son, Timothy Kyle Fincher on March 31, 1969, in Oxford, Mississippi. 

In January of 1972, the family moved back to South Carolina, where Julian was appointed Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina on July 1, 1972, and Betty hosted many events and served as Vice President of the South Carolina Auxiliary.  She was such a devoted wife and mother to her children. While Julian was Dean, Betty taught pre-school and Kindergarten for over 20 years and served as Director at the First Baptist Church in Lexington, South Carolina. In this capacity she was known as an excellent teacher and had the opportunity to assist in sharing the love of Christ with numerous children.

Julian and Betty joined the First Baptist Church of Columbia and Betty loved participating in the church choir in all their programs and she made costumes for some of the events. She was always active in Sunday School, Women’s Bible Study and later joined the Senior Choir. She loved giving to the community of the homeless by serving at the Soup Kitchen monthly at the United Methodist Church that help over 200 needy people each week.

Betty was also a very talented seamstress and decorator.  When her children were small, she made many of her daughter’s clothes. She helped make curtains and bedding for her daughter’s historic home in California. She made most of the curtains for her homes and was excellent at just about any house project, which Julian and Betty enjoyed working on together.

After Julian retired, they moved to Benton, Arkansas to be around their younger grandchildren Landon and Lawson Fincher and her son and daughter-in-law Timothy and Dawn. Betty adored her time taking care of her grandchildren. She served actively in the First Baptist Church of Benton in Women’s Bible study and was chair of the Bereavement Committee and gave comfort and made food for grieving families of the church. She also loved to be a part of every community where she lived and was asked to join the Crestomath Club which was a women’s leadership group and served as their president. Most important she was a devoted Christian who loved the Lord with all her heart. 

Julian and Betty moved back to their home state in South Carolina, but her health became compromised, so they decided to make the move to live near their daughter, Carol Timm and son-in-law, Larry Timm and her granddaughter, Monique Timm in California.  That time was very special to have her and Julian in California. She became very close to her granddaughter and her daughter who was always close to her mother. God blessed us with Betty Fincher. She was a wonderful mother to her two sons and daughter, a caring and loving wife to Julian for 58 years, a great friend and amazing grandmother to three. We will always love you! 

Betty is survived by her husband, Julian Hayes Fincher and her three children, Robert Louis Smith, Jr. of Woodstock, Georgia, Carol Yvonne Smith Timm (Larry Timm) of Upland, California, and Timothy Kyle Fincher (Dawn Fincher) of Biloxi, Mississippi and grandchildren: Monique Angelique Timm of Upland, California, Landon Elisabeth Fincher Foust (Stephen Foust) of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Lawson Hayes Fincher of Little Rock, Arkansas. Betty is also survived by her siblings, Linda Jarrell DuBois (JW DuBois), Martha Jarrell Smith (James Smith) of Beaufort, South Carolina, Geraldine Jarrell Skinner of Varnville, South Carolina, and Beverly Jarrell Cave (Bunyan Cave) of West Columbia, South Carolina.

She was pre-deceased by her father, Oregon Thomas Jarrell; mother, Enice Lightsey Jarrell; sister, Gloria Jarrell Sineath; and her brother, Jimmie Jarrell of Nixville, South Carolina. 

A private burial will be held on July 5th at Woodridge Memorial Park in Lexington, SC. Her Celebration of Life service will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, July 7th at the Boyce Chapel of First Baptist Church of Columbia, 1306 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Visitation will be at 2:00 PM prior to the service at Boyce Chapel. A reception will follow the service in the home of Myron and Linda Corley in Lexington, SC.