Betty Katherine Rosenbalm

Betty Katherine Smith Rosenbalm passed away at Methodist Hospital in the early morning hours of May 4, 2024. She is survived by her only child, Karla Anne Rosenbalm Jones, along with her son in law, Mark Andrew Jones, and her grandchildren, Harrison Armston Jones and Reagan McKinley Jones, as well as her nephew, Lieutenant General James Terry.  She was born in Chatsworth, Georgia on April 7, 1940, to Delia Edna Smith and James Carl Smith, the youngest of 5 siblings. She is preceded in death by her parents, along with all her siblings, William Glenn Smith (Gainesville, GA), Willena Smith (Atlanta, GA), Myra Jo Smith Terry (Chatsworth, GA), and Lyndell Smith Davis-Lichti (Shreveport, Louisiana). Her late husband, the Honorable Judge Wheeler Rosenbalm, recently passed away on April 21, 2024, just 13 days before her passing.

Betty grew up on the family farm and had fond memories of picking cotton in the fields of Georgia. She graduated from Murray County High School in Chatsworth, GA in 1957, where she was voted Most Likely to Succeed by her senior classmates.  Upon graduation she attended Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN.  While attending LMU, she was an active member of Delta Theta Sigma sorority. She then continued her education at Bethel College, now Bethel University, in McKenzie, Tennessee, completing a Bachelor of Science in 1961.

Her professional career includes working for the Tennessee Valley Association, serving as a secretary for Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, and working as a long-time administrative assistant for Knox County Schools in the central office. She retired from Knox County Schools in 2012. Betty never met a stranger and was loved and adored by her friends and co-workers. She had a generous heart and lived her life helping those in need. She and her late husband were very active members of Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, and in more recent years they attended First Baptist Church of Knoxville.

While attending LMU Betty met the love of her life, Wheeler Armston Rosenbalm, at a picnic. She and Wheeler were married on July 28, 1960, at Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Powell, TN. After they were married, Betty worked full time as a secretary at Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville to help pay to put her husband Wheeler through law school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The couple enjoyed almost 64 years of marriage together.

In recent years, as Betty and Wheeler’s health began to decline, their only child, Karla Rosenbalm Jones, prayed that the Lord would take them together, as it was too painful to consider the two living apart from each other. With Wheeler’s passing on April 21, 2024, the family began to make plans for his funeral to be set on May 4, 2024. In the week preceding the funeral, Betty entered hospice care at Methodist Hospital and because she passed in the early morning hours of May 4, 2024, the family was able to hold a combined Celebration of Life for the couple on that very day at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church. Betty met her Lord and Savior at 3:54 am on May 4^th and was reunited with her husband in heaven, fulfilling their daughter’s prayer request.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all the staff at Morning Pointe Assisted living in Powell, TN, where the couple resided in recent years, as well as to the staff at The Lantern Memory Care facility in Clinton, TN. Additionally, the family would like to thank all the nurses and staff at Methodist Hospital, including the Covenant Health Hospice staff for their excellent care for Betty in her final days. Lastly, the family extends their appreciation to all who were in attendance for the joint Celebration of Life service this past Saturday, May 4, 2024 and asks for your continued prayers in the days to come.