Mrs. Betty Lou Stewart

Love was the thread that gently wove its way through every season of Betty Lou Stewart’s life. She loved her family, her friends, her church, and every soul who crossed her path. At eighty five years of age, Mrs. Betty passed peacefully from this life on Monday afternoon, February 9, 2026, leaving behind a legacy measured not in years but in kindness freely given and love faithfully returned. She was the second of five children born to the late Otral and Bessie Freeman Tomlin and spent her entire life in the Reagan community of Henderson County, a place she cherished deeply. Mrs. Betty was known as a hard worker and a devoted provider. She worked for many years at Scotts Hill I Appel until its closing in 1996 and without pause began her next chapter at Leroy Somer, where she lovingly served in the kitchen for nearly nineteen years. Wherever she worked, she carried with her a warm smile and a welcoming spirit that made everyone feel at home. To know Mrs. Betty was to know a true people person. She shared her love freely with friends, neighbors, and especially her church family. A devout Christian, she loved her Lord with steadfast faith and remained faithful to her church and to those she held dear throughout her life. Her home was a gathering place filled with comfort, laughter, and the aroma of something wonderful cooking. Mrs. Betty was a marvelous cook who delighted in feeding others, and no one could leave her home without being urged to eat just a little more. In those simple moments around her table, she showed love in one of its purest forms. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Junior Stewart; her children, Debbie Pratt, Keith Junior Stewart, and Tony Lynn Stewart; a granddaughter, Shelly; and her siblings, Joe Tomlin, Jimmy Tomlin, Sue Wadley, and Sandra Kay Wells. Those left to cherish her memory include her daughter, Amanda Dayhuff; son in law, Andy Pratt, six grandchildren who lovingly called her Granny, Lori and Sandy Pratt, Allan, Aaron, and Adam Stewart, and Sarah Dayhuff; and thirteen great grandchildren who will carry forward the warmth of her love . Visitation with the Stewart family will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and continue until 10:00 p.m., and again on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, February 12, 2026, in the chapel of Pafford Funeral Home, with interment to follow at Union Hill Cemetery outside Lexington. The family of Mrs. Betty certainly wants to thank the staff at Briarwood for all their love, kindnesses and support for all of their family. Above all else, Mrs. Betty believed in love, the kind that is patient, generous, and freely given. She lived it each day, shared it with everyone she met, and now rests in the eternal embrace of the love she held so dear.

Mrs. Betty Lou Stewart

April 7, 1940 - February 9, 2026