Betty Jean Drake

Betty Jean Drake, known to family as “SUGA,” was born on February 1, 1934, to the late Beula Drake and Zelma E. Phelps Washington in Adairville, Kentucky. She was the matriarch of the family and provided love and support to every family member that needed her help. She was blessed to see 90 years old and entered into peaceful rest on June 6, 2024. She accepted Christ at an early age and was a very spiritual person.

Betty's journey started in Logan County, Adairville, KY, where she was raised and attended public school. She relocated to Nashville, TN, and worked in Bell Meade as a housekeeper, at Fort Negley Laundry as a laundry attendant and in Glasgow, KY, as a caretaker for many years. 

She took pride in raising her three wonderful children and when they became teenagers, she decided to move to Louisville, KY. After raising her children in Kentucky, she decided that she wanted to come back to Nashville, TN, to live the remainder part of her life.

Betty was the neighborhood hairdresser and enjoyed singing, dancing, cleaning, cooking and playing cards. Most of all she loved encouraging her children and took pleasure caring for her family both near and far. Betty had a kindhearted spirit and would not hesitate to lend a helping hand to other people that she came to love and treated them as if they were a part of her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Beula Drake and Zelma E. Phelps (Milton) Washington; husband, John Thomas Grizzard; and siblings: brother, James V. Henry; sisters, Lillian F. (John) Sweeney, and Dorothy E. (Charles) Gaines.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her three loving children; son, Reginald D. Grizzard; daughters, Gail G. (Jonathan) Grizzard and Doris A. (Ricky) Grizzard-Harrison-Brown; devoted grandchildren, Charlie Pigg, Tiesha Harrison, Rodney Northington II, DeVonte Yelder, Christopher Harrison II, Racheal Grizzard, Reginee Yelder and Jonathan Little; nineteen great-grandchildren; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.