Anne Betts Coxhead

February 20, 1923 - March 6, 2021

Anne Betts Coxhead died early Saturday morning, March 6, 2021, and is now enjoying the presence of her Lord Jesus Christ and her loved ones in Christ forever. She was born in Brunswick, Georgia, February 20, 1923, and reared in Rome, Georgia, with her sister, Jane, by her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Carl Betts. She graduated from Cooper Hall School for Girls and Shorter College in Rome in 1943. For the next year, she helped build B24s for the Army at an airplane factory in California. Then she went to New York City and earned a Masters Degree in dance at NYU. (She was in Times Square on VE day in 1945!) She taught dance at the University of Illinois for 2 years and LSU for 2 years before moving back to Rome to teach at her alma mater, Shorter College, in the fall of 1949. There she met her husband to be, George Coxhead, who was working for Sears and Roebuck. They married in the Presbyterian Church in Rome in October 1950 and moved to Burlington, NC, as George went with the Burlington Mills. After moves to Galax, VA, and Greensboro, NC, and the births of their first 2 children, they moved to Chapel Hill, NC, in 1955 as George started a career with New York Life. There they had 2 more children and Anne spent the next 48 years in Chapel Hill, rearing children, teaching children’s dance classes, teaching dance in the UNC physical education department, serving in their church and participating in many community and university activities. After George died in 1988, she continued to teach a ladies exercise class in her home studio, to play tennis, and to be active in her church, the Chapel Hill Bible Church. In 2003, she and her sister, Jane, moved to a retirement home in Auburn, Alabama. There she became an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Opelika, AL. In 2008, she moved to a retirement home in Lagrange, GA, where she lived for 9 years. Due to declining health, she finished her life on this earth in assisted living in Atlanta. She was a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, a diligent student of His Word, and she lived out those gospel truths as a faithful mother, sister, wife, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. Her gifts of hospitality and encouragement affected all who came in contact with her. The Fruit of the Spirit, particularly love, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness and gentleness was evident in her life, and inspired countless numbers of people. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Carl Betts, her sister, Jane Betts Higgins, her husband, George, and her daughter, Anne Coxhead Warner. She is survived by her son, George Coxhead, Jr. (wife, Margaret) of Rock Hill, SC, her daughter, Jane Goggans, of Atlanta, and her son, William J. Coxhead (wife, Lori) of Peachtree Corners, GA. She is also survived by 13 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Memorials in her name can be given to any of her favorite ministries: Key Life Ministries, Langham Partnership, Young Life, or European Christian Ministries International. There will be a graveside memorial service at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery, Saturday, March 20th, at 2pm.