Betty Edwards Lockard, 81, of Roanoke died peacefully Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Florence Alley Edwards, and husband, Kenneth Price Lockard. Betty was born in Galax and moved to Roanoke in 1955 to attend Roanoke Memorial School of Nursing.  Betty lost her husband at a young age and was never remarried. Her primary focus was on raising her three children while sometimes working two jobs to make ends meet. She was honored by The Roanoke Times & World Dispatch as Mother of the Year in 1994.

Betty held many positions within the nursing profession. She worked at Physicians to Children and the Roanoke County Health Department but spent most of her career working with children as a Roanoke County school nurse.  She found her true passion helping those with special needs at Roanoke County Occupational School, Pinkard Court and later throughout the County school system.

Betty was blessed by many wonderful friends and neighbors during her life in Roanoke.  In 2016, she made the difficult decision to leave those friends in order to be closer to her children.  Betty spent her last few years in Richmond surrounded by the family she cherished.

She is survived by her three children, Phillip (Lydia Marek), Teresa (Lecky Stone), and Betsy (Bo Nelson).  Other survivors include ten grandchildren and one great grandson.

A memorial service will be held at Oakey's South Chapel on Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 2:00. A private family burial will take place at Worrell Cemetery on Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 1:30 PM.  Memorial contributions may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org.