Betty L Broom

Betty Lavonne Byers Broom, 89, passed away on August 13, 2025, at her home in Milton, Florida with her family by her side. Betty was born in Naples, North Carolina to the late Mont Bunyan Byers and Mattie Moore Byers Quinn in 1935. Betty grew up in Henderson County, North Carolina until she was 16 when, on a dare, she married her husband, Burt Allan Broom, and moved to Miami, Florida. Her younger years were often ones filled with insecurity and hardship as the result of being moved back and forth among relatives and others in the community. Despite this, she vowed to break this cycle and one day make her home a haven of comfort. She achieved this goal when her first child, Michael Allan Broom was born in 1953, followed by Wayne Anthony Broom in 1957, and Sherry Annette Broom in 1960. She attributes this success to the influence and love of her father-in-law, John Columbus Broom (aka Daddy Broom). When her children were young, Betty devoted her time to caring for them and creating a warm and loving home. Among other things, she accompanied them on field trips, made their Halloween costumes, and filled them with joy by decorating their home inside and out for holidays. In her spare time, she was a member of Northside Baptist Church where she sang alto in the choir. During this time, she was also selected to sing in the choir of the Billy Graham Crusade when it visited Miami in 1961. In the 1950s, Betty worked as a waitress and orange juice salesgirl on Miami Beach and as a Greyhound bus hostess, where she would board buses prior to their departure and sell a variety of goods, including snacks, drinks, pillows, and small personal care items. After taking time off to raise her children, she entered the workforce again as a switchboard operator at North Shore Hospital in Miami and a film deliverer for Berkey Photo. During this time, she also went back to school and obtained her GED. After her youngest child moved from home to go to college in 1978, she and her husband moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina. She worked at the Hendersonville Country Club and Western Sizzlin’ prior to her husband’s passing in 1997. She then moved to Pensacola to be closer to her daughter and her family. Her twilight years were filled with offering love and support to her family, enjoying trips with them, and making those she met smile with her sweet demeanor and fashion flair, for which she was often complimented. She also found joy in cooking for others; sewing; collecting salt and pepper shakers; giving treats to her grandsons and pets; reading the newspaper; doing crossword, word search, and jigsaw puzzles; marveling at the beauty of the bay, flowers, and wildlife in her back yard; singing; and reading passages from her well-worn Bible. Betty will be welcomed to heaven by her husband, Burt; sons, Michael “Al” and Wayne; sisters, Gladys Byers Andrews, Judy Quinn Arrowood, and Gloria Miller; brothers, Wayne Byers, Arthur Daniel Byers, and James Curtis Quinn; parents, Mont and Mattie; and her grandson, Kyle Alden Lowrey. She leaves behind her daughter, Sherry Broom and her husband, Gerald C. Lowrey of Milton, Florida; grandsons, David C. Lowrey and his wife Elizabeth Barnett-Lowrey of Pensacola, Florida, Westley A. Broom (Alexis Green) of Sylva, North Carolina, and David “Andrew” Justice of Forest City, North Carolina; brothers, William Ray "Jerry" Quinn (Karen) of Hendersonville, North Carolina and Joseph Cordell Quinn (Francis) of Flat Rock, North Carolina; three great-grandchildren, Adrian, Wayde, and Dakota, all of Sylva; her dear friend and “adopted” daughter, Penny Y. McCall (Keith) of Pace, Florida; and several much-loved nieces and nephews and members of her son-in-law's family. Special appreciation is sent to those who cared for Betty in her final days including Penny McCall, Kathy Judah, Jacqueline Hernandez of TLC Caregivers, and Emerald Coast Hospice of Milton, Florida. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 30, at 11 AM at Faith Chapel Funeral Home in Cantonment, Florida with a visitation beforehand at 10:30 AM. A reception with a country breakfast, in honor of the BIG country breakfasts Betty was known for preparing, will be served afterwards at the funeral home. Her family requests that you wear her favorite color of pink and come with a memory of her to share or for someone to read on your behalf. For those who wish to do so, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Betty’s memory to her beloved grandson’s memorial scholarship at Pensacola State College. Donations to the scholarship can be made on the PSC Foundation website by selecting “Kyle Alden Lowrey Memorial Endowed Scholarship” from the “I want to support” drop-down menu or by contacting the Foundation at (850) 484-1560. Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements. You may express condolences online at www.fcfhs.com.

Tributes

Betty L Broom

September 18, 1935 - August 13, 2025