Betty Brandt Williamson

RALEIGH - Betty Brandt Williamson passed away in the early afternoon on Saturday, July 31, 2021, at UNC-REX Healthcare after a seven months long valiant and courageous battle against multiple myeloma which progressed into plasma cell leukemia. Betty Brandt was born on May 1, 1959 in Raleigh. Named for her two grandmothers, Betty Robertson Williamson and Bessie Brandt Brown Denny, she attended Myrtle Underwood Elementary School, the former Daniels Junior High School and Needham Broughton High School. Betty Brandt received a degree in Zoology/Animal Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981 and after taking two prerequisite courses at NC State, she enrolled in the Rex Hospital School of Medical Technology, becoming ASCP certified in Clinical Laboratory Science and Medical Technology in 1983. She first worked in the lab at NC Memorial Hospital followed by work in the lab at Duke Hospital. In December of 1991, Betty Brandt was hired by Burroughs Wellcome as a Clinical Data Coordinator and after a series of mergers and name changes retired from GSK in January of 2015 after working in Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance. Betty Brandt’s favorite job and greatest passion was being a dog mom. In April of 1993, she brought home a cream-colored Chow Chow to live with her. Shank was followed by Zephyr, Tai-Shen, Sheba, Amy and Toby as well as Boo Boo, who came to live with Betty Brandt after her mother suffered a stroke and moved to a skilled nursing facility. Her parents’ dog Zoe also visited with Betty Brandt’s dogs frequently. Betty Brandt fostered numerous dogs, mainly Chow Chows and Great Pyrenees, and often assisted in the transport of rescued dogs to their new owners. In 2015, Betty Brandt was appointed to serve on the Wake County Nursing Homes Community Advisory Committee, which makes quarterly visits to nursing homes to talk to residents about their experiences within the facility. The Committee members then write reports to forward to the Ombudsman. Betty Brandt was passionate about numerous social causes and participated in the Women’s March in Washington, DC in January of 2017 and in the Moral Monday Marches in Raleigh. She was also passionate about environmental justice and led the effort to stop several requests for expansion of the Shotwell Landfill in eastern Wake County. In 2013 after the passing of both of their parents, Betty Brandt and her sister donated land owned by their parents to the Triangle Land Conservancy as part of a bargain sale, and it is now open to the public as the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, thereby honoring their parents’ wishes that the land never be developed. Betty Brandt was loved by her many friends. She especially enjoyed the annual gatherings of the Carolina Girls, a group of friends she got to know from her UNC-CH days, and ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament weekends when those gathered cheered on their beloved Tar Heels. She also loved time at the beach with friends, and she also traveled to Annapolis, Maryland a number of times in May to attend the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival with one of the Carolina Girls and her husband. Betty Brandt is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Sally and Jeff Greaser and a host of Williamson, Denny and Ashley cousins. She enjoyed the many holiday gatherings and life celebrations throughout the years with her parents, aunts and uncles and cousins on both sides of her family. Her dogs Amy, a Great Pyrenees and Toby, a Chow Chow Retriever mix, also survive her. Her family wants to thank Rex Oncology and Hematology Associates, especially Dr. Jeremiah Boles, Cheryl Anderson and Marie Carr, for the care and attention they provided Betty Brandt during her numerous visits for treatments. Her sister also wants to thank the ladies from Visiting Angels who made it possible for Betty Brandt to stay in her home the last two weeks of her life. She was well taken care of. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Sunday, August 8th, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home located at 831 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. A graveside service will follow on Monday morning, August 9th, at 11:00 a.m. at the Williamson Family plot at Historic Oakwood Cemetery led by Rev. Kristen Muse and Rev Julia Ledford. Donations may be made in memory of Betty Brandt to the Carolina Great Pyrenees Rescue, 4015 Fawnbrooke Drive, Indian Trail, NC 28079 or to the NC Veterinary Foundation, c/o NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607 or to an animal shelter of one’s choice. Arrangements by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com