Betty Wayne Williams Cooley, 91, died July 17, 2021 in Wilmington, NC. Betty Wayne was born in Laurinburg, NC on August 12, 1929. She graduated from Laurinburg High School and Queens College, in Charlotte, NC. In 1954 she married Charles A. Cooley of Wagram, NC. A beloved teacher at Laurinburg High School, then at Scotland High School, she taught French until she retired in 1989. A talented pianist, she also enjoyed playing bridge, traveling, and volunteering in her later years. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Laurinburg until she moved to Wilmington in 2016.

She is survived by her brother, Tom Williams of Winston-Salem, NC; her children, Beth Cooley of Wilmington, Margaret Cooley of Wilmington, Charles Cooley, Jr. of Waynesboro, PA; and five grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Lower Cape Fear LifeCenter at www.lifecare.org or Habitat for Humanity at www.habitat.org .