Ella Mae

Fields Bettis

Ella Mae Fields Bettis, M.A., age 92, departed this earthly life July 31, 2021.  She joined her beloved husband, Minister Jesse Bettis, of 60 years.  Ella Mae was born the fifth of ten children, to Benjamin F. Fields, Jr. and Thelma Belton Fields in Sunflower, AL on July 7, 1929.

Like a lot of children born during the Great Depression, Ella Mae started working at an early age and quickly realized a college education would give her better opportunities.  So by the age of 16 she was attending her freshman year at Alabama A&M.

She graduated in 3 years with a Bachelor Degree in Home Economics and a minor in English and Science. In the summer of 1949, Ella Mae met her lifelong partner and husband, Jesse. They married July 5, 1951.

Over a 31 year career, Ella Mae taught Biology and later Home Economics at McIntosh High School.  During which time she focused on helping students succeed by teaching them many life skills.  She also conducted the 4-H and FHA clubs.  As if that wasn't enough she found the time to connect with the community as she reupholstered furniture, repaired sewing machines, repurposed all types of items for future use, and ran summer sewing circles.  She even found time to go back to school and earn her Master's degree in Home Economics at Tuskegee Institute.

Even in retirement, Ella Mae continued her education when she took the Master Gardener training and learned to type in a computer class while providing daycare for two grandchildren.

Ella Mae was a self-taught handy man as rural living tended to lead you to make your own repairs. She saw value in everything which led her to be a collector of many things: books, magazines, newspapers, fabrics, etc. Ella Mae was known for her biscuits, fruit cakes, pound cakes and her fried chicken.

She was a devoted member of Little Sunflower Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. H. Walker, Rev. Emmett Jones and Rev. Dr. Dave Adams all who preceded her in death. She served as the treasurer and food committee chair for many years until her health failed.

A lover of the region, she lived 83 of her 92 years in Sunflower, Alabama, and only relocated for healthcare.  Preceded in death by her parents: Benjamin F. Fields, Jr. and Thelma Belton Fields, husband: Jesse Bettis, Brothers: Irving Fields, Benjamin B. Fields, Sr., Norman L. Fields, Sr., Joseph S. Fields, Sr. and sister: Julia Owens.

Ella Mae's proudest accomplishments were her four children. Her spirit lives on with sons: Berman L. Bettis (Ruenell), Jesse R. Bettis (Eugenie); daughters: Patricia Hutson (Dennis), Zaundra Bettis, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

She remains in the hearts of three brothers: Robert Fields, James Fields (Shirley), and Leo Fields (Lydia); one sister: Maureen F. Beard, a host of nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Services will be held Saturday, August 21, 2021, 10am at Jackson High School Auditorium, 321 Stanley Drive, Jackson, AL 36545, Rev. Dr. Dennis Hutson, Eulogist. The funeral cortege will then travel to Sunflower, AL for the interment ceremony at Fields Family Cemetery. Facial mask is mandatory and social distancing will be implemented.

Services with sympathetic care and legendary professionalism entrusted to Andrews Funeral Home, 800 Depot Road, Jackson, AL. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.andrewsfuneralhomejackson.com and on Andrews Funeral Home Facebook page.

Those wishing to honor Ella Mae can make a donation to the UNCF Scholarship Fund on her behalf in lieu of flowers (if preferred). https://uncf.org/ways-to-donate . Select "Other ways to give" to make a donation in her memory.