Bettye Jene Gillespie Bare passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 18, 2016, in Dacula, GA, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born November 26, 1923, to S. Weir and Hazel Ferguson Gillespie in Charleston, WV.
Jene married James Watson Bare Sr. in Charleston in 1944.
She graduated from Greenbrier High School in Ronceverte, WV, in 1940 and attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. Throughout her life, she lived in Charleston and Ronceverte; Ashland, KY; Columbus, OH; Miami, FL; and Atlanta, GA. She retired from Southern Bell after 25 years. After retirement and the death of her husband in 1944, Jene moved to Wooster, OH, where she lived for 25 years. She enjoyed working at The Cleveland Clinic and was a regular volunteer at The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, OH. She was also a member of First Presbyterian Church in Wooster.
Jene was an avid reader, birdwatcher, and butterfly caretaker. She loved all nature, especially flowers, clouds, and the moon. Jene was known for her independence and adventurous spirit.
Jene is now reunited with her parents; stepmother, Clella Hinchman Gillespie; and her husband.
She is survived by her children, Stephanie Reardon (Michael) of Wooster, James W. Bare Jr. (Sara) of Daytona Beach, FL, and Beth Gray (William) of Dacula; grandchildren, Amy Jo Reardon, Robin Carlton, Jamie Bare Hardy, Stephanie Albritton, Dylan Gray, and Jacob Gray; great-grandchildren, Michael and Nicholas Windon, Carolina and Audrey Carlton, Kyleigh, Piper, and Lilian Hardy, and Gray, Vivian, Anna, and Felicity Albritton; and special friends and caregivers, Elizabeth Staso of Wooster and LaShay Moore of Dacula.
Funeral services will be held at Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in Lewisburg, WV, on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at 10 AM with the Rev. Greg E. Scott officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Ronceverte.
A memorial service will be held in Wooster at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 2, at 2 PM with the Revs. David Rice and James Watt officiating.
Mother, Gram, Grandma Bare, Jeney, and Friend, you will be in our hearts and minds forever.
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com
Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in Lewisburg is in charge of arrangements.
Obituary originally published in the September 21, 2016, edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
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