Betty Needham

Betty Long (Betty Jo) Needham, 80, joined her beloved husband Victor in heaven on Saturday, June 22, 2013. Betty will be greatly missed by her family and friends, but her long suffering has ended and her eternity is secure by the grace of God through her Lord Jesus Christ! At the end, Mom gave comfort to us with her unending faith.'Betty Jo' was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and grew up in various other places throughout the United States. She met Victor in Knoxville, and they were later married on July 3, 1954. They both loved the Great Smoky Mountains, and honeymooned in Gatlinburg. Mom and Dad moved as Dad's work location changed, eventually living in Chattanooga for 9 years before moving to New Albany, Ind., where they lived for over 30 years. Mom and Dad returned to Chattanooga in 2009.Betty was a life-long Methodist and was a member at Christ United Methodist Church. Her church life always included music, and she was an accomplished soprano soloist in her day (that is how Dad first met her, as she sang from the church choir).Betty loved her family, always having a way of saying things to lighten the load of those around her. Mom's various illnesses gradually robbed her of her mobility, but in the end she was safe and comfortable, and a blessing to those around her. Betty Needham was preceded in death by her husband, Victor A. Needham, Jr. to whom she was happily married for an all too short 57 years; her parents, Dorothy S. and James H. Long, Sr.; and her dear brother James H. (Uncle Jimmy) Long, Jr.Survivors include 'the boys', sons Victor A. Needham, III (Wilma), of Ft. Thomas, Ky., and Mitchell E. Needham (Donna), of Chattanooga, Tenn.; 'the girls', daughters, Lisa Matthews (Bill), of Cloudland, Ga., Jamie DeMumbrum (John), of Loveland, Oh., and Meredith Needham, of New Albany, Ind.; and their children, 'the kids' Wesley (Caitlin) and Rachel Needham, Grant (Catherine) and Alex Needham, Matthew Black (Jill), Jeremy Matthews and Mark Matthews, Max and Olivia DeMumbrum, and Jackson Thomas; and great-grandchild Levi Black.The family would like to thank the caregivers at NHC Rossville, Hospice of Chattanooga, her numerous dear friends and extended family, and church members who prayed for her so diligently.Services will be held this Wednesday June 26, at 10 a.m. at Christ United Methodist Church. Interment will be at National Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Road, 2nd Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 or to Hospice of Chattanooga, P.O. Box 19269, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37416. Visit www.lanefh.com to share condolences. Arrangements by the Lane Funeral Home., Ashland Terrace 877-3524.