FLORENCE—Betty Burns Raffield McCarty, 98, died May 1, 2022. A native of Tennessee and longtime resident of Florence, she was born February 24, 1924, to James Cannon Burns Sr. and Mary Bobo Burns.
She is survived by her sons, Ryan Raffield and Mike Raffield (Connie); grandchildren, Rachel Raffield, Cory Raffield (Amy), and Jordan Raffield; great-grandchildren, Shelby Walters, Evan Witt, and Delia Witt; and numerous nieces and nephews, including David Walton and Diane Butler.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Horace Raffield and Bill McCarty; her brother, James Cannon Burns Jr., who died Dec. 1, 2021, at the age of 100, and his wife, Mena Anderson Burns; and a great-grandson, Cole Walters.
Betty believed in living life fully. She was active, totally engaged and fiercely independent until just a few months before her death. Among her many loves were God, family, live music, friends, dancing, and the Atlanta Braves. Her family thanks the 2021 Braves for giving her one last World Series win.
Betty graduated from Peabody College, and at the end of World War II, she visited a friend in Panama City, Fla., and met Horace Raffield, a handsome sailor returning from the Pacific. He was the best dancer she had ever known. Several years after they married, they moved to Florence, and for a time she was a teacher and coach at Sheffield High School. They raised two sons, owned and managed One-Hour Cleaners, and always took every opportunity to go out dancing.
After Horace’s death April 30, 1984, Betty met Bill McCarty—the “Galloping Ghost of Coffee High School”—and they married and enjoyed their retirement years together.
Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 5, at Greenview Memorial Chapel, and the funeral service will begin there at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Renaissance Assisted Living and Hospice of the Shoals, and sitters Traci Cracraft, LaDonna Mitchell-Rhodes, and Luci Cranfill.
For those who wish to make a remembrance gift, the family suggests a contribution to First Christian Church, 700 North Wood Avenue, Florence, AL 356
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