Don't be sad. God has a plan. Her voice with a lag. Always do the best you can. She grabbed my hand. With a smile so pleasant. I understand. Getting old is a present. Poem by Emma Ruth Fink, Betty's 12-year old granddaugher.

Elizabeth "Betty" Robinett, 75, went home to Jesus on May 28, 2022 in her daughters home in Ashburn, VA. Just as she had planned, Betty was surrounded by her family. She was welcomed into the world on April 26, 1947 in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up in the hills of Tennessee.

Betty had a passion for learning, teaching and advocating. Despite her learning disability, she persevered and earned a higher-education certificate from Montreat Anderson College (Montreat College)  and bachelors degree in English from Emory & Henry college. As a full-time teacher and mother of three, she earned her master’s degree from George Mason University. Betty was a member of Nu Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an Honor Society in Education.

Betty began her 25+ year teaching career as a lower-elementary teacher and spent most of her career as a high school special education teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia. In 1985, Betty co-founded Parents for Compliance, a parent-led advocacy group, responsible for setting “into motion a campaign for the overhaul of special education programs in Fairfax County public school system.”

Betty was an active member of the Northern Virginia community for over 40 years. She was a long-time member of St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Annandale, VA and resident of Paul Spring Retirement Community in Alexandria, VA for nearly a decade, where she served as a resident-elected officer. Betty took great pride in making long-lasting friendships with both the residents and staff of her community. She valued the opportunity to continue her advocacy efforts within Paul Spring.

In addition to Betty’s roles as a daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, wife, teacher, Mother, advocate, military spouse, and Grammy- she was a badass warrior. Her family recently started referring to her as #BraveBetty.

#BraveBetty was a 15-year survivor of breast cancer and opted for recommended radiation despite surgery & chemotherapy success…as an “extra precaution”. Fast forward to January 2022- another cancer diagnosis. It took over 3 months, multiple tests and biopsies for the specialists to figure out what was attacking her body...ANGIOSARCOMA.

Learning that this very rare and aggressive cancer was directly correlated to the “extra precaution” was gut-wrenching. The sarcoma specialist had only seen this diagnosis just 4 times in his career.

After hearing treatment options, none of which provided a good prognosis, Betty opted to live with cancer- terminal cancer- cancer she knew would kill her. There was no medical documentation they could find on patients opting not to seek treatment. Enter #BraveBetty and self-requested hospice.

Over the past 7 months, Betty’s children and grandchildren were instrumental in seeing that Betty was living her best life while managing her end-of-life preparations. Betty put together her wish list- she wasn’t fond of the term “bucket list.” Her family worked through her wish list- creating memories of a lifetime.

Betty was preceded in death by her father, Marshall, her mother Ruth, and her brother, Randy. She is survived by her three children, Jim, Kelly and Elizabeth, her four grandchildren Nathan, Amilia, Connor and Emma, her sister, Marshall and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

• In lieu of flowers, please consider a tax-deductible donor to #BraveBetty’s Scholarship Fund in Loving Memory of Elizabeth B. Robinett- a scholarship fund which will continue her legacy by supporting special-ed students through their college journey. 

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