Cara Irven
She would call my Michael and say… “I can’t get into my computer” and he’d stop everything. He would listen and very intentionally guide her through resetting her password (again). Most of the time he would wind up going over to help anyway. She would always try to slip him some cash for “the trouble”. I asked him once if he ever got tired of people doing this to him and he said very emphatically - NOT BETTY. I’d do anything for her, just as I would’ve done anything for Ray (her late husband). Just as I would do anything for Mike & Debbie. He said they are wonderful people - the best people, my people and people like this are impossible to come by.
Betty (and Ray) made such an impression on Michael because, as he said, they raised his “dad”. Not the dad he was fathered by; he’s never known him. Not the one his mother married; he witnessed and experienced too much abuse to consider him dad. Mike Schmidt is the only man Michael would ever consider a father and his “dad”. He told me Mike was the only man he ever had a bond with, ever felt loved by and ever loved in return. A boy is shaped and molded by many things and people in his life, but nothing makes him the man God called him to be quite like his mom. A mom’s love for her son nurtures him into a loving husband, father and friend.
I personally had only a few interactions with sweet Betty. This little box of firecrackers was full of surprises so I can imagine the stories her legacy will continue to tell for years to come. She walked into my house one day and saw my old piano. At nearly 150 years old she said it was one of the few things older than her - LOL - and thought she was a beauty! She took to the keys like no one else ever had in this house. I was astounded by the music those little bony fingers made - and all from thin air (no sheet music)! I felt like I was attending a concert for the great Betty! I was taken aback by this woman yet again. As we say in the south, she was somethin else. 🥰
Today, I have a man in my life who is beyond patient and kind. A man by my side whose strength and intelligence is quiet, whose humility is great, and whose perseverance is fierce. When he is away, he hurries home to me. This man of mine makes me feel loved greater than anyone else ever has. Michael Matlock would not be the compassionate, loving, God-fearing, - future husband 😉 he is today without having known Mike Schmidt. Mike Schmidt would not be capable of influencing another man without having a mother like Betty. Betty would not have been able to foster relationships, command respect and leave the legacy she has left without KNOWING JESUS! So for every one of those tiny, but monumental details, I will always be grateful.
Though your matriarch has left this place, she has left so much for everyone who knew her. God bless and keep your family comforted as you mourn her passing, but rejoice in knowing she rests with the ALMIGHTY where she waits to welcome those who follow! We are so blessed to have known Betty and to know her precious family she leaves behind. 🙏❤️
