Flora Elizabeth (Betty) Edwards Bynum, 96, of Scottsdale, Arizona passed away October 14, 2016. Betty was born in St. Albans, England on August 13th, 1920 to parents Thomas and Edith (Turner) Edwards. Raised in Bangor, Wales, she was the oldest of 5 children: Fred, Bert, Marge and Don. Betty attended Garth School, and studied music at the University of Bangor. She enjoyed singing in the church/choral groups, and Gilbert and Sullivan productions. As a young student nurse, she met Francis Troup Bynum, an Army soldier, sailed across the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth in 1946, and they married in Jacksonville, Florida. Betty was dearly loved by her family. She is survived by her son David J (Barbara Disser) Bynum, two granddaughters Debbie (Matt) Miller and Michelle (Joe) Trott, and 5 grandchildren Camryn, Tennyson, Tristan, Whitney and Kelly (Ocala, Florida), brother Don Edwards (Bangor, Wales) and sister Marge Woelz (Leicester, England). The visitation will be at 1:00 pm, followed by the funeral service at 2:00 pm, Thursday November 3, 2016 at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, 7900 E. Main St., Mesa, AZ.
Betty and I met through music in the early 1980s when she and Frank lived in Gainesville, Florida. She was a charter member of The Willis Bodine Chorale, and because we were both short altos, we were generally beside each other during rehearsals and performances. Singers will know just what that means. Betty was one of the brightest, wittiest women I’ve ever known. After her move to Arizona, she always ended our telephone calls with some unexpected quip or joke that made me laugh with cheer. As a friend, she gave far more than she received; from her, I learned lessons about bravery, resourcefulness, and carrying-on. I loved her very much. Willis and I both send our deepest condolences to you, David, and to the entire family, with thanks for sharing her with us.
Dear Anna and Willis – thanks for the kind words and remembering the humor of my mother, and thanks for the lovely flowers. It was a very nice service and many for her friends from Las Palmas were there, I think she would have been pleased.
Best Wishes from Dave and Barb!
We are in UK and have been researching our family tree. We traced Betty just today. She was my Grandmother’s cousin. My 91 year old Mother still writes to Betty’s brother Don at Christmas. she sounds a great character. How brave to set off on such a journey across the ocean!