Betty "Betsy" Bailey

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord. Psalm 121 Betty Lou "Betsy" Sparger passed away Monday, March 16, 2020 in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She was born on November 9, 1927 in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Growing up, she loved the mountains, camp, swimming, riding horses, and reading. Graduating a year early from Mount Airy High School, Betsy entered Randolph Macon Women\'s College, was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. She and her late husband of sixty-eight years, Fred Winston Bailey, made Shreveport, Louisiana, their home. They were founding members of St. Luke\'s Methodist Church, and active members of First United Methodist Church. Betsy was an example of a life that defied boundaries. Having lost her arm to cancer, she raised three daughters and helped others with their handicaps. Betsy gave back to her community by tutoring in the Library Literacy Program, delivering Meals on Wheels, and serving on the Boards of the Glen Retirement Community and the Volunteers of America. She enjoyed reading, walking, gardening, symphonies, and especially her group of Bible Study friends. They met weekly for over forty years. The Baileys were Charter Residents of The Tower at the Oaks in Shreveport, and lived at Savannah at the Oaks until moving to the Courtyard of Natchitoches. Betsy was preceded in death by her husband, Fred W. Bailey; parents, Margaret Ashby and Randall Worth Sparger of Mount Airy, North Carolina; and her brother, Randall W. Sparger, Jr. of Pfafftown, North Carolina. She is survived by her three daughters: Margaret "Amy" Bailey Evans (John) of Breckenridge, CO; Elizabeth "Beth" Bailey Whitsitt (Allen) of Collierville, TN; and Sarah Bailey Luster (John) of Natchitoches, LA. She also leaves her grandchildren: Laurie Evans Lamb, John Willis "Will" Evans IV (Lee), Margaret Ashby Evans, Alison Whitsitt Hinson (Gary), Howard Allen "Hal" Whitsitt IV, William "Bill" Bailey Luster, Rebecca Sparger Luster Radford (Alex), and John Page "J.P." Luster (Morgan); as well as her great-grandchildren, Joseph Lamb, Elizabeth and Nell Hinson, and Elizabeth and Katherine Evans; and her nephew, Randall W. Sparger, III of Charlotte, NC. A private service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to be sent to Volunteers of America, 360 Jordan Street, Shreveport, LA 71101 or the charity of your choice.