Betty Anne (Kline) Beckner passed away on Jan. 16, 2023. She was born March 27, 1930 in Rockingham County, Virginia, in the
Linville-Edom community near Harrisonburg. She was the daughter of Homer Reuben Kline and Goldie Marie (Summers) Kline –
descendants of German immigrants from the Rhineland.
One of four children, Betty was raised on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by many aunts, uncles and cousins. Her
childhood included roaming the beautiful Valley countryside; riding horses and playing clarinet and piano.As an athletic young
woman, she played basketball and other sports in high school. From her mother, she learned to be a good cook and seamstress --
skills she imparted to her own daughter Tamyra.
Betty was raised in the Church of the Brethren, where she sang, played the organ and participated in youth activities, including
annual trips to Camp Bethel.
She attended Bridgewater College of Virginia. It was there she met her husband of 58 years, Winifred Edward (“Win”) Beckner,
who was from near Roanoke, Virginia, who preceded her in death.
After living in Roanoke for several years, Betty and Win moved first to Rockingham County, then to Frederick County, Virginia,
where they lovingly restored an antebellum home near the historic town of Winchester.
When Win was transferred by Corning Glassworks to its headquarters in upstate NewYork in 1967, she and her family moved to
Horseheads, NewYork. While there, Betty decided to go back to school to complete her college education, earning a Bachelor’s
degree in Elementary Education at Elmira College. Later, after following Win to Durham, N.C. to start his own business. she
earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education at Duke University,
For more than 20 years, Betty taught kindergarten in Durham County. Following retirement, she and Win moved to Mebane, N.C
in 1996 to be close to their son Steve, wife Janice and their young sons Doug and Craig. She joined Mebane Presbyterian Church,
where she was active until late 2019. No longer able to live independently, she moved to White Birch Communities back in her
beloved Shenandoah Valley to be close to daughter Tamyra in nearby Mt. Crawford.
Betty and Win were able to travel extensively abroad in their later years together, after earlier touring throughout the United States
with their children.
In addition to son Steven (Janice) Beckner and daughter Tamyra (Bob) Rosen, Betty is survived by seven grandchildren – Erica
Stokes of St. Louis, Mo.; Stefanie Paris of Vienna, Va.; Douglas Beckner of Charlotte, N.C.; Craig Beckner of Hendersonville,
NC; David Rosen of Mt. Crawford, Va.; Katie Miksad ofAlexandria, Va., and Laura Hulse of McGaheysville, Va., as well as 10
great grandchildren.
Betty is also survived by her devoted sister Cherrill (Phil) Stone of Harrisonburg, Va. She was predeceased by brothers Ronald
Kline and Donald Kline.
Acelebration of Betty’s life will be observed at Mebane Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.Areception will
follow in the Church fellowship hall. The service will be live-streamed on the Church’s YouTube website.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Mebane Presbyterian Church or Bridgewater College. Johnson
Funeral Service