Betty Gray Hiatt Simmons

Mrs. Betty Gray Hiatt Simmons, 84, of Mount Airy, passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, November 22, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Betty was born December 1, 1940, in Surry County, the daughter of the late Albert Maurice and Macy Laster Hiatt. She was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She served many callings within the church. One of her highlights was her calling to serve in the Raleigh Temple with her husband for five years. Betty was a mother to five children who she loved deeply and always made sure they knew it. She loved her whole family and always had a way of making each person feel special. She was “MeMe” to ten grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren. She was the definition of a hard worker and in her younger days could be found in her garden, cooking for her loved ones, or caring for her patients as a nurse. She was a loving and devoted nurse who worked at Northern Hospital for most of her career and later retired doing home health. After her retirement, she taught nursing assistant classes at Surry Community College. Some of her students cared for her in her final days, expressing kind regards of her as a teacher and person. She was a wonderful cook and enjoyed making meals for her large family through the years. Betty made many baskets for her family and friends over the years and enjoyed crafting. She also enjoyed studying genealogy and sharing it with her family. She loved Christmas and always had her home beautifully decorated to welcome all her family back to her home on Christmas Day. Gatherings at MeMe and Papa’s were always so special. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, James Eugene Simmons; her five children, Shelia Sherrill (Jay), Sheryl Lee (Myron), Jamie Simmons (Deniene), Dwaine Simmons, and Amanda Badgett (Todd); and her ten grandchildren, Coby Sherrill (Ashley), Chase Sherrill (Chari), Katherine Thomas (Jarrad), Megan Mills (Jordan), Christopher Lee (Morgan), Dusty Simmons (Amber), Bailey Brandon (Christopher), Amber Thomas (Nick), Taylor Younger (Logan), and Jordan Davis (Daniel). Betty had twenty-two great-grandchildren with two more on the way. She was always so proud of all her family and loved keeping up with the growing number of great-grandchildren she had. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Simmons was preceded in death by her granddaughter, McKayla Leigh-Ann Simmons; her four sisters, Shirley Watts, Peggy Dickerson, Polly Payne, and Jacqueline Gravley; and two brothers, James Albert Hiatt and Johnny Eugene Hiatt. The funeral service will be held Friday, November 28, 2025, at 3:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy, with Brother Darin L. Cozzens officiating. Interment will follow at Skyline Memory Gardens. Friends may pay their respects at the funeral home on Friday, November 28, 2025, from 2:00 PM until the time of the service. The Simmons family will receive friends at her home beginning at 5:00 PM.