Bette Marie Epstein

Bette Marie (Smith) Epstein of Dallas, Texas, formerly of Scottsville, Kentucky passed away peacefully on September 8, 2026. 

Bette Marie was a great storyteller, though not always the most reliable narrator. She would tell you that's just how good story telling works.

Bette was headstrong and passionate. She believed in keeping secrets, making mischief, and wearing sexy shoes. She didn't suffer racists or bad men, and delighted in calling out both. She raised her children to be kind, but take no flack. Bette never missed a chance to throw a party, get people dancing, or gather folks for the sake of silliness. She intended to live to a hundred and twenty and likely would have taken more if given the chance.

Through the years Bette was a '60s secretary, a housewife, a dowser, an art gallery owner, a painter, a palm reader, a set designer, a dance instructor, a hypnotist, a pants-hemmer and curtain-maker, a weaver of fabric arts and tall tales, an AIDS hospice volunteer, an interior decorator, a teacher, a muse. She was a writer of prose and poetry. She pulled herself out of a childhood of trauma and poverty with the phenomena of autobiography. Every heartbreaking story she lived was spun into a comedic tale, and the life she desired was written in her mind's eye then created through sheer will.

Mom was a force of nature. As such she could be a gentle breeze or a tumultuous storm. She was not a quiet woman. She did not raise quiet women.

Once, when asked to sum up her own life, she said the following. "She loved her Momma forever and tried to make her proud. She tried to do the right thing. She loved this land. She loved her life. She probably loved you."

Bette is survived by her four children David Epstein (Charlotte Graft), Lorre Degani (Ram Degani), Eliza Epstein (Carl Block), Cassie Whitmire (Robert Whitmire), her five grandchildren Ben Degani, Jesse Degani, Sophie Degani, Clara Whitmire, Francis Whitmire, and her great-grandson Sonny. Many others called her Mom over the years. She claimed each one and loved them fiercely.

Per Bette's request, a private family committal service was held and no public services are scheduled. 

T.W. Crow & Son Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with all arrangements.