Elizabeth Yeates Coxe

Elizabeth “Betsy” Yeates Coxe, 75, passed away in Florence, S.C., on April 29, 2022, after a brief illness. 

Betsy was born to Rutherford Nance Yeates and Elizabeth Willis Yeates on August 27, 1946, in Birmingham, Ala. After graduating from Brooke Hill School, Betsy attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Va. 

In 1967, Betsy was injured in a car accident that greatly impacted her life. She married, graduated from Randolph-Macon, and had two children, Richard Badham Coxe, Jr., and Elizabeth Coxe Hubbard (Alan). After living in Darlington, South Carolina, for 17 years, she returned home to Birmingham. 

With a passion for helping others, Betsy became a volunteer and advocate, helping establish the Birmingham chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and donating her time to various organizations, including St. Vincent’s Hospital. She was an avid swimmer, a member of The National Society of The Colonial Dames in America, and a member of St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church. She would often bake sour cream coffee cakes and custards for loved ones and friends who were grieving or suffering. She knew no strangers, befriending anyone and everyone. Her sweet personality and laugh were infectious, making it hard not to smile in her presence. 

Betsy’s life was made better by her large circle of friends, family, and, later, caregivers. She wouldn’t have thrived without the love and support of those around her. Whenever she needed help, she could always count on her support system, including longtime caregiver, Willow Dean Gunn. In her later years, she was cared for by a dedicated team of nurses and caregivers at The Manor in Florence, South Carolina. She loved all of these supportive individuals, family, and friends, and is fortunate to have been loved by them in return. 

Betsy was predeceased by her parents and brother, Rutherford Nance Yeates, Jr. (Alice). She is survived by her children and grandchildren, Gracie Coxe, Hampton Hubbard, Charlie Hubbard, and Waits Hubbard, her brother, Charles Willis Yeates (Betsy), and nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Manor in Florence, South Carolina, for their Residents’ Assistance Fund, St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church in Birmingham, or the Birmingham chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. 

A visitation will be held at St. Mary’s-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church in Birmingham at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, May 6, 2022, with a 1:00 p.m. service to follow. 

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