There are very few people who didn’t know her or hadn’t been impacted in some way by her kindness and desire to help. Betty Jo Gober lived her life in a manner most humans couldn’t. She understood what it meant to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and she did it everyday. “Mrs. Betty”, as she was respectfully called by all who knew her, passed away March 11, 2025 at the age of 85, just shy of her 86th birthday June 6, 1939.
Always helping people
“As a child, I remember there was always someone living in our house,” Pastor Greg Gober reflected about his mama. “Her heart was always reaching out to someone having a difficult time, making room, finding a way to give a step up. She lived her life like the Good Samaritan. Mama wanted to give a fresh start to those struggling.”
Married to James Earl Gober for 58 years, the couple raised three children: Felecia, Greg, and James Jr.
Mrs. Betty grew up in Toccoa, Georgia, with a deep love of God and a desire to serve people. Her large family included 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grand children and countless numbers of children from the community that she loved and nurtured throughout her life.
Gracious and poised
Greg remembers a night they were watching the movie The Help, and Mrs. Betty spoke up, “That was me.”
“We stopped the movie and said, ‘Mama, what do you mean?’,” Greg explained.
Mrs. Betty described what it was like back then. She worked for a family in Toccoa where she cooked, cleaned, and cared for the children. She described herself as more of a mom to the children than their own. Mrs.Betty loved the children she cared for like her own. She wasn’t allowed to eat the food in the house and knew her place in the home.
Greg described his mom as a very gracious and poised woman with no ill-will.
“She just did it. It was how things were and there was no bitterness or anger about it. Her love for the family and the children superseded any negative. Her love for people in general always overcame any obstacles,” Greg expressed.
Flags at half-staff
Mayor of Cornelia John Borrow requested the flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Betty Jo Gober. “Mrs. Betty was one of a kind. Humble, kind, generous, wise, and a visionary. I wanted to fly our flags at half mast as a symbol of mourning and respect for her for all that she did to help Cornelia and beyond,” Mayor Borrow said. “Mrs. Betty put into practice her beliefs, which were rooted in the Bible. Her life serves as an example to us to follow the two greatest commandments – to love God and to love people.”
Beautifully, a picture was taken of the flags flying for Mrs. Betty at half staff, and there appears above them three halos. For those who knew and loved her, the picture is not surprising but appropriate.
Member of Shady Grove Baptist Church
Mrs. Betty, a long-time member of Shady Grove Baptist Church, was widely regarded as a trailblazer who never sought attention for herself but always focused on others. As an employee of Standard Telephone Company (now Windstream), she was one of the first Black women to integrate the company.
Audrey Davenport, a family friend talked about the youth choir Mrs. Betty started. “She helped refine the first and most dynamic youth choir of Shady Grove (of which I was a member); she made certain that we attended practice regularly, which helped us stand proud among other regional youth choirs in the area. As a dedicated and hardworking community pillar and founding member of the Regional African American Museum, Inc., by her heart and hands assured that our published history in Habersham 200 has the most inclusive history of our community, in print to date.”
Betty Gober Day
The City of Cornelia designated June 6th as Betty Gober Day, a day to honor all that she has done for the community.
Mrs. Betty was an active member of the Wisteria Garden Club and Gold Club, where she held several leadership roles. She mentored elementary students and led Bible studies at local apartment complexes and community centers in Cornelia.
Regularly, Mrs. Betty collected and distributed food at her church’s food pantry and played a key role in launching the Habersham County Mentoring Program and was a major contributor to the Northeast Georgia Peace Council.
For over 20 years, she organized and participated in the National Day of Prayer in Habersham County.
It was apparent by all who knew her that she wanted the best for everyone in the community and saw the best in everyone.
A servant of Christ
Garry Chisolm, a life-long friend of the Gober family, wrote, “She (Mrs. Betty) loved God with every fiber of her being. Not just in words, but in action. She embodied what it meant to be a servant of Christ. She didn’t just talk about faith she lived it. And if you ever needed a reminder of what it meant to trust God, Betty had a way of giving it to you straight, with that soft but firm tone of hers. She could be gentle as a breeze, but if you were acting up or needed correction, she could get as stern as a Sunday morning sermon. And you would listen.”
“My mom cracked the code to what it meant to be great in God’s Kingdom,” Greg added. “She loved up close and modeled an authentic faith.”
As the community celebrates the outstanding life of Betty Jo Gober, her pure heart and giving spirit remains in the people she helped, loved, and served.
Betty Jo Gober did indeed make the world a better place.
Arrangements
McGahee-Griffin & McEntire Funeral Home of Cornelia, Georgia, is in charge of arrangements. You can direct questions by calling 706-778-8668. An online guest register is available.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at The Torch Worship Center, located at 800 Cannon Bridge Rd, Demorest, GA.
Interment will be in Level Grove Cemetery at a later time.
Receiving of family and friends will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Shady Grove Baptist Church, located at 226 M.L.K. Jr Drive in Cornelia, GA.
