Betty Quinn Hester passed away on June 22, 2024 at age 94.  She is survived by her daughters Lynn Hester Connell (husband Richard), Lisa Hester Hall (husband Randy), and Elizabeth Hester Pawelka (husband Rick); and her grandchildren Chris Connell, Somer Hall Shively (husband Stephen), Shelby Hall, Eric Geiger (wife Blythe), Ashley Geiger, and Carl Geiger (fiancée Jordan); and her great-grandchildren Sirus and Skyelar Shively.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Jackson (Jack) Hester, her father and mother, James Robert and Mary Lou Trott Quinn, and brother Charles Robert (Bob) Quinn and his wife Iloe Tester Quinn.

Betty grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas and loved to share childhood memories of happy times with family and friends, like special mornings drinking coffee with her father.  She attended the University of Texas where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and a proud "Longhorn" graduating with an associate degree in Business.

She met Jack Hester in February 1950 while he was in Naval flight training in Corpus Christi.  They went on a blind date and fell in love at first sight.  Jack and Betty were married in December 1950 after he returned from his next tour of duty.  Once Jack left the Navy, they stayed in Midland, Texas and, in March of 1954, had their first daughter. Soon after, they moved to Houston and had their second daughter in January 1957.  In 1959, Jack started working for IBM (aka "I've Been Moved"), which included moves to California, back to Houston, where they had their third daughter in June 1963, then to Connecticut in 1964.

Betty embraced these many moves just like she embraced life, as adventures.  She made many friends at every location while also taking the opportunity to learn new skills such as refinishing antique furniture, serving as "first mate" on Jack's sailboats, and becoming an accomplished camper on the many family camping trips throughout New England and Canada.

Then, in 1968, they moved to North Carolina with IBM when RTP first broke ground. They bought land outside of Cary, NC in the country and Betty seamlessly adapted to "farm life" there.  She had her own horse, aptly named Fun, and loved all of her animals, from kitties to puppies to chickens.  She was even known to wrestle a black snake or two that threatened to steal chicken eggs and build little ladders for baby chicks to roost in the trees!  She was also famous for her delicious Saturday lunches for workers during barn building and other farm projects, as well as her pinto beans at their many Texas BBQs.

Betty was a wonderful loving mother to their three girls and did not pursue an outside career until their youngest was in her teens.  In the late 1970s, she earned her Real Estate license and quickly became one of the more successful realtors in Raleigh. She learned how to get to all the best showings throughout the city well before GPS and was frequently in the Millionaire Club.


Their last move was to North Raleigh in 1993.  They built their dream home within the Duxford subdivision, which was developed on Falls Lake on the land they had purchased in the mid 1980's.  It was there that Betty loved and spoiled their six grandchildren, specializing in making things fun and magical for them, just as she had for her daughters. She cherished the time with them and loved watching them blossom into kind, wonderful, and successful young adults.

Through all these moves and changes in lifestyle, Betty kept her Texan heritage, humor, and grit in the forefront.  As she often said, you have to "Go with the Flow" and "Be Good, But If You Can't Be Good, Have Fun!"  She was a Tough Texan to the very end and will be dearly missed by all.

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In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Betty's name to either the Betty Quinn Hester scholarship fund at William Peace University, First Presbyterian Church, or Transitions Lifecare

William Peace University (peace.edu)
15 East Peace Street
Raleigh, NC 27604
919.508.2000
First Presbyterian Church (fpcraleigh.org)
112 S. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27601

Transitions Lifecare (transitionslifecare.org)
250 Hospice Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607