Lorraine Ruth Beatty

Lorraine Ruth Beatty, aged 94, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2024, at Pittsboro Christian Village in Pittsboro, NC. She was born on  January 4, 1930, in Springfield, Illinois to Lawrence and Ruth Cantrall.

 Lorraine was a 1947 graduate of Lanphier High School in Springfield,  Illinois and attended Emmaus Bible College in Chicago, Illinois. She married James Beatty on January 22, 1961, in Springfield, Illinois.

In addition to raising her three children, Lorraine worked in Christian ministry alongside her husband, James, first at Christian Faith Academy in Berlin, Illinois and then later as co-directors of the Washington Street Mission in Springfield, Illinois. Lorraine loved teaching young children as well as working with parents in crisis to help them create more stable lives for their children.

After retirement, Lorraine and James moved to Winston Salem, North Carolina to live nearer to some of their grandchildren. Lorraine worked at the Old Salem historical site for several years as a costumed interpreter, learning and sharing the history and culture of that Moravian settlement.

Besides her ministry, Lorraine’s greatest passion was gardening. She spent much of her free time growing organic vegetables and preserving them, as well as growing flowers and other ornamental plants for their beauty. She also enjoyed travel, especially trips to the mountains or beaches in North Carolina or to visit her children and grandchildren.

Lorraine is survived by her husband, James; her daughter Elizabeth Roth(Thomas), her sons James A. Beatty(Julia) and David Beatty(Nancy);  her grandchildren James M. Beatty, Rebecca Beatty, Andrea Beatty, John

Beatty, Natalie Field(David), Colin Roth, Evan Beatty, and Alexander Reitz(Stephanie Harrington); and great-grandchildren Joni Cornelius, Melvina Reitz, and Paul Reitz. She is also survived by her sister Helen Pierce(Floyd) and brother David Cantrall(Peggy), her sister-in-law Ruth Beatty, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Ruth Cantrall, her brother Lawrence, Jr and his wife Delores, her brothers-in-law John Beatty and Philip Beatty, her sister-in-law Katherine Beatty, her sister-in-law Elizabeth Shorten and her husband Charles, her daughter-in-law Joni Beatty, and her nephews Daniel Cantrall, John Beatty, and Paul Beatty.

A memorial service will be held 2:00pm Saturday, June 29, 2024, at Pittsboro Bible Assembly, 1825 East Street, Pittsboro, NC 27312