Betty A Guy

Betty Alene (Evans) Guy was one of 11 children born to Cleophus Ernest and Sallie Fannie Evans in Bulloch County, GA on May 17, 1942. As a young teenager, the family moved from Rocky Ford, GA to Cincinnati where Mom attended school through 11^th grade before dropping out to work and help support the family. At the age of 21, Mom married Dad (Robert Lenoir, Jr) and they were blessed to have five AMAZING children: Lisa Ann Kincaid, Patria Ann Lenoir, Lori Ann Lenoir-White (Bryan), Leslie Danielle Arrowsmith (Chad) and Paul Geoffrey Lenoir.

At the age of 34, Mom became a single mother raising five children while working first at Levi Strauss in Evendale, then General Motors in Norwood. After the loss of her sister Rosa Jean, Mom assumed guardianship of her niece and nephew, Gentria (Genny) and Murray Burnam. She was now a single mom raising seven kids. We were a handful.

When the opportunity presented itself to move into management at GM, Mom earned her GED and completed GM Management Training before relocating to take a position at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, KY. She continued to move up in management at GM, relocating to Southfield, MI to work at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant before returning to the Cincinnati area to finish her career at the Moraine, OH assembly plant near Dayton. She retired from General Motors in 2005.

Although at times we didn’t have a lot, what we had was made beautiful by Mom. She was a great seamstress, making a lot of our school and church clothes. She was a kitchen beautician, pressing those edges like nobody’s business. She was an amazing cook and made sure to pass that along to all of us. She was HGTV before HGTV. She gardened, crafted, drafted, repaired, replaced, refinished, and remodeled…she did it all. We learned it from her.

After several years of suffering from unexplained, debilitating symptoms and pain, Mom was finally correctly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2014. Even after being diagnosed, she never used the disease as an excuse to not do for herself, even when we begged her to ask for help if she needed it. Stubborn to the end.

As Mom’s condition declined, her strong Christian faith carried her through her darkest moments and comforted her to the end.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Cleophus and Sallie Evans, siblings Waymon Evans, Rosa Jean Burnam, Cleo (Sister) Williams, Willie Alvis Evans, Cecil Evans and nieces, Ann Lorraine Robinson (Cleo), Gentria Thomas (Rosa Jean) and Tanya Evans (Cecil).

Betty was loved and will be missed by her surviving brothers and sisters (Bobby Evans, Larry Evans, Bernice Barkley, Roberta Williams and Linda Mabry), her children, seven grandchildren, Michael (Lori); Matthew, Landon, and Taylor (Lisa); AJ (Leslie’s stepson) and Akira and Gabrielle (Geoff)), two great-grandchildren (Kamden (Taylor) and Eliana (Landon)), and a host of nieces, nephews, other family and friends. We want to specifically mention her aunt Mae Florence Thomas and cousin Kenny Harris, to whom Mom was especially close. She also leaves behind her closest friend, Barbara Andrews, affectionately known by us as “Aunt Barbara”.

We love you, Mom

Lisa, Tria, Lori, Leslie and Geoff

A Public Visitation will take place on Friday, November 11, 2022 from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM at Thompson Hall & Jordan Funeral Home 11400 Winton Road Forest Park, Ohio 45240. A Funeral service will follow beginning at 1:00 PM. Min. Ron Mabry, officiating.

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