Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Gaines Wooten, a devoted Christian who found joy in her role as wife, mother, and supporter of the church, passed away on June 16 in Asheville, N.C. She was 98.

Betty was born on March 8, 1926, to Worth and Marjorie Linscott Gaines in St. Augustine, Florida, the place that was always the home of her heart. As a teenager during World War II, she volunteered for the Coast Guard's beach patrols along St. Augustine's beaches. These groups were organized to watch at night for U-boats, following a brief German landing in 1942 at nearby Ponte Vedra Beach.

Following high school, she attended Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Va., and returned afterward to St. Augustine, where she worked for the Florida East Coast Railroad and was active in Ancient City Baptist Church. It was there she met Oscar D. Wooten Jr., and they were married in the church on Christmas Day 1948.

In 1958, Oscar's work as a banker took them to Clermont, Florida, where they spent the next two decades as active members of the community. A special focus of their lives was former Grace Baptist Church, where Betty served as both pianist and organist. A job transfer took the family later to Paxton, Florida. She and Oscar were active members of the Florala Baptist Church, where once again she served as organist and pianist.

In 1992, they retired to Franklin, N.C. A self-described rock hound, Betty enjoyed life in the mountains, where she could pursue her interest in finding and collecting local gems, geodes, and other stones. She and Oscar were active members of Iotla Baptist Church, and she became skilled at quilting and contributed to the church's quilt ministry.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Oscar Wooten; a brother, Bob Gaines; sister-in-law, Nancy Gaines; brother-in-law, Dwight Wooten; brother-in-law, Willy Wilcox; a daughter-in-law, Julie Wooten; and a granddaughter-in-law, Kate Wooten.

Her survivors include sons David (Cathy) and Dwight; daughters Ann Gunter and Jean Stephens (Bobby); son-in-law Sammy Gunter; grandchildren Elizabeth Acton, Laura Green (Steve), Heather Bongers (Ray), Charlie Wooten, Laurie Norton (Ryan), Mary Margaret von Herberstein (Edouard), William High (Hannah), Bob Stephens (Gina), and Jo Lynn Stephens; brother Mark Gaines (Carole), sister-in-law Kitty Wilcox, sister-in-law Reba Wooten, and brother-in-law Walt Wooten (Peggy). Several great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews also survive.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at Macon Funeral Home, in Franklin, NC. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m, with a service following at 11 a.m. and light lunch/reception afterward.

The family would like to thank the staff of Riverbend Health and Rehabilitation for their attentive caregiving and concern for Betty.

For those wishing to make a memorial gift, the family suggests Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina, Broyhill Home/Drake Cottage, 111 Sneed Drive, Clyde, NC 28721 or online at https://www.bchfamily.org, with designation to Broyhill Home/Drake Cottage.