Betty Robinson Early

Betty Robinson Early was a God-fearing, family-oriented, loving woman. She gained her heavenly wings on February 28, 2023, at age 85.

Betty Robinson Early was born to William Hamp Robinson and wife Savannah (Johnson) Robinson on January 19,1938 in Aiken, South Carolina. At an early age she dedicated her life to Christ while attending Friendship Baptist Church in Aiken, SC where she started singing in the choir. During her time at Martha Schofield High School, where she was an avid basketball player (nicknamed “Rock”), she helped lead the school to multiple wins and championships. Betty continued her education and obtained an Associate of Applied Science at Luvenia's School of Cosmetology in Augusta, GA. She gave birth to her only child in 1965. In 1970, she met Phillip Lee Early and traveled abroad as a military wife and mother. Upon returning to the United States, the family was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC. During her time at Fort Jackson, she was an active member of the chapel and in the choir. As a historian of the chapels on Fort Jackson, she was able to see the congregation grow in size. Growth moved from the Magruder Chapel to Anderson Street Chapel to the main theater to, lastly, Daniel Circle Chapel. While a devoted church member, she retired in 2001 from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, SC.

She was a volunteer for her grandchildren’s schools, and she loved her grandchildren. She loved her family and would drop everything for births, family vacations and sporting events. She was inducted as the grandparent of the Year for North Springs Elementary 2007-2008 in Columbia, SC. She enjoyed volunteering with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Columbia, SC and she was the #1 cheerleader for the Smyrna Village Family who she loved and adored. In 2020, she moved to Georgia to be closer to her only child Donna. In that time, she gained more extended friends and family at Fresenius Dialysis Center and The Cambridge Assisted Living & Memory Care formerly known as Provident at Creekside. Here she served as the director of music, volunteer in the memory care center and the resident advocate.

She was preceded in death by her fraternal twin Barbara (at infancy), parents and twelve siblings. Betty is survived by her sister Mary Lee Stalworth (Robert) of Aiken, South Carolina, brother Terry Curry of Warner Robins, GA, daughter Donna E. Spigner of Smyrna, GA; her five grandchildren, Dasima B. Mason (Chris) of Ocean Springs, MS, Valencia S. Washington of Columbia, SC, Bria D. Spigner of Columbia, SC, Jalen A. Spigner of Atlanta, GA and Jordan X. Spigner of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by five great-grandchildren (Riley, Logan, Christopher, Loren and Caleb) and leaves behind a host of family, extended family and friends.