CELEBRATION OF LIFE On Sunday, July 26, 2010 God called home His faithful prayer warrior and our loved one Betty Jean Forbes. Betty was born on February 12, 1942 in Augusta, Georgia to Gladys Pendleton of Ardmore, PA. She was the oldest of five sisters. Betty graduated from Norristown High School and attended Community College in Bluebell, PA. She married Donald Brown in 1960, and from that union was born four children. Two sons, Donald Brown, Jr. and DeForrest Brown, preceded her in death. She was a long-time and devoted member of the Blood-Covered Pentecostal Church in Norristown, PA until relocating to New Jersey in 1994 when she married Herschel Forbes. Herschel and Betty always enjoyed encouraging the singles at church with the details of how God led them to each other and to just "wait on the Lord" to provide a loving spouse. Betty joined Faith Tabernacle Church under the late Bishop Helen Hamilton. She eventually took membership with the First Baptist Church, Jericho, where her heart was given to visiting the sick in the hospitals, and especially the nursing homes. She also actively attended the Missionary Ministry and the Fellowship Choir, and she and Herschel were dedicated to the Couples Ministry. Betty was a skilled and gentle phlebotomist, and retired in 2004 after working ten years at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, ten years at Montgomery Hospital in Norristown and ten years at the Manor Nursing Home in Norristown. Betty would arise early in the morning to pray. Earnest prayer for others was her true ministry. Her life brought her many sorrows, but she always had a bright smile and a hearty "praise the Lord" that were real. She will be missed by so many people whom she has helped, but she wanted a special "thank you" to go out to all her precious friends in Norristown, PA and Lansdale, PA, who made numerous visits during her illness to bring her encouragement. In God's Word, Jesus answered the question "who is my neighbor?" Betty specifically requested that the following people be acknowledged for all the help they provided daily to her and Herschel in the form of transportation to doctors appointments, nourishment, personal assistance, yard care, wardrobe and housework: John and Nadine Washington, Freddy and Robbie Burnett, Joyce Gauthney, Richard and Loretta Lee, James and Kim Rone, Nicole Mora, John and Martha David, Fannie Horcey, Karen Cordy, Betty Love, William Payne; her dear friend Donna Fisher and Evangelist Alma Harris for her endless supply of oven-roasted chicken wings that Betty never lost an appetite for. Betty leaves to cherish her memory her beloved husband Herschel; daughter Dr. Deanna Donaher, MD (Maine); son, Dwayne Brown (New York); sisters Connie Pendleton (Illinois); Nancy Tull, Karen Pendleton and Kimberly Pendleton (all of Norristown, PA); two great aunts: Molly Mack (Florida) and Katherine McCoy (Georgia); nine grandchildren and one great grandchild; and one very special cousin, Fay Garrett (East Orange); and a host of relatives and friends. Pall Bearers Richard Lee, James Rone, Robert Burnett Sr., Robert Burnett, II., Richard Carthen, Barry "BJ" Oiler, II Honorary Pall Bearer Barry Oiler, Sr. Acknowledgement The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, words of comfort, expressions of sympathy and acts of kindness which make these moments of sorrow easier to bear. "I'm Grateful to You" (A message from Betty to her family and friends thought poem by Joyce Gauthney) If only I could tell you what your LOVE means to me: Your prayers when I lay near death went upward faithfully. And all around my sick bed you came to lift me up And in my weakest hour, we broke The Bread and drank The Cup If only I could tell you what your CARE means to me: Your intimate and tender touch applied so lovingly; Your eagerness to see me eat, and breathing free of fear, Has brought peace to my tortured mind - I know that God is near. If only I could tell you what your TIME means to me: I know you could be elsewhere, attending to your needs. So often the ill are forgotten, and "put up on the shelf"; But you, each day and night, tried to nurse me back to health. For all your love, for all your faith, your care and your time, too, I'm truly, truly grateful to the Lord that I have you. And each day that I have left to live until my journey's end I only hope I prove to be your faithful prayerful friend. Professional Services Entrusted To: Adams Stiefel Funeral Home .203 W. Broad Street Paulsboro, NJ 08066 Phone (856) 423-0179 Interment Gloucester County Veterans Cemetery Tuckahoe Road Williamstown, NJ REPASS First Baptist Church, Jericho 981 Mail Avenue Deptford, NJ 08096 (856) 468-8686