Elizabeth Ann Dallas Broome

Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Dallas Broome, 91, of Brandon, MS, passed away on May 25, 2021, with family by her side a few days after suffering a stroke.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, at Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Brandon, MS.  A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 2, at McLaurin Heights United Methodist Church in Pearl, MS, with Dr. Jason Bird officiating.  A graveside service for family will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Bay Springs Cemetery in Bay Springs, MS.

Betty was born December 28, 1929, in Neshoba County, MS, to Nannie Beeman Dallas and Grady Henry Dallas.  Born during the Great Depression, she was raised on her family’s produce farm and learned to value hard work at an early age.  She attended high school in House, MS, and East Central Community College in Decatur, MS, then transferred to what is now the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.  After graduating at age 19 with a B.S. degree in Home Economics, she began working for the Extension Service in Jones County as a home economist.  She later earned a Master of Education degree from Mississippi College.

In 1950, she married Rufus Houston Broome of Bay Springs, MS, and together they had five children.  She demonstrated her strength of character by courageously shouldering the burdens of being a single parent after becoming a widow at age 50 with two children still at home.  A working mother, she valued education and was a devoted elementary teacher in the Pearl School System where she taught for 32 years.  Her teaching career was interrupted for a time as she served four years as bookkeeper for her longtime neighbor Sheriff T.H. Shivers.  Following retirement from teaching, she shared her gardening knowledge with others for over a decade through a second career as a sales associate with Lakeland Yard & Garden Center.  While raising a family and during retirement, she also tended to the family farm at Bay Springs.

A charter and active member of her church and the Ladies Bible Class for 61 years, she was known for her delicious stuffed peppers, five flavor pound cakes, her love of gardening, aerobic lawn mowing and her intense dislike of wayward weeds, leaves, and pinecones.  Her physical strength and endurance were also matched by a strong and loving spirit, always serving others.

She was preceded in death by her spouse, Judge Rufus Houston Broome; her parents, Nannie Beeman Dallas and Grady Henry Dallas; three brothers, Grady W. Dallas, Hulon D. Dallas, and Norman S. Dallas; and two sisters, Hazel L. Walker and Margaret E. Tomlin.  She is survived by her five children:  Barbara Collier (John) of Brandon, MS; Patricia White (David) of Roswell, GA; Adam Broome (Lissa) of Chapel Hill, NC; Judge Thomas Broome (Paula) of Brandon, MS; and Julie Stilley of Loranger, LA.  She is survived by four grandchildren:  Sarah Grant, Alex White (Renee), Anna Broome, and Emma Stilley.  She is also survived by one great grandchild, Ari White; a sister-in-law, Delorese Dallas; and former son-in-law, Kevin Stilley.  In addition, she leaves behind many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

The family wishes to express thanks to Gerald Adams, a neighbor who always lent a helping hand.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to McLaurin Heights United Methodist Church, the Alzheimer’s Association, or other charity.