Betty Jo Buly was born August 21, 1926, in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. She passed away Sunday, February 16, 2020, at Peyton Hospice House in Lewisburg.
She was the third child of the late Henry and Hallie Ramsey Perkins. At an early age, her family moved to Pocahontas County. Her childhood was spent on the family farm where she learned to love and care for wildlife and animals.
Betty attended schools in Pocahontas County. Until it closed, she walked three miles each way to Williams River School. After her graduation from Marlinton High School in 1945, she went to Washington, D.C., and worked with the FBI for four years under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover.
An enthusiastic hiker and mountain climber, Betty completed the entire 77 mile length of the Greenbrier River Trail, and climbed Mt. Washington, the tallest in the White Mountain Range of New Hampshire.
Betty was a founding member of the Humane Society of Pocahontas County and gave loving homes to many orphaned cats and dogs.
She attended Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro. Before moving back to Pocahontas County, Betty was a member of Wilton Congregational Church in Wilton, Connecticut. She lived in Wilton for 30 years before returning to her farm on Russell Scott Road near Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Maureen “Perk” Herold; and an infant brother.
She is survived by her husband of 71 years, John; her sons, John Steven, of Hillsboro, and Philip, of Bellingham, Washington; three grandchildren, Halina Buly, of Washington, and Alex and Hannah Buly, both of Hillsboro; and a sister, Mary Lou Smith, of Hillsboro.
Betty was very proud of her work for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. She raised funds for the annual Multiple Sclerosis Society bicycle ride in Pocahontas County.
Per her request, the body is to be cremated and her ashes tossed to the wind over the Williams River area.
Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Pocahontas County or the local animal shelter.
Online condolences may be made at www.Lantzfuneralhome.com
