Betty Jane Rogers DeGrace, 85, of Dadeville, Alabama, passed away on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at Dadeville Healthcare Center. Memorial services were held Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, at the First Presbyterian Church in Dadeville. Ms. DeGrace will lie in state for one hour prior to the service at the church from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (CST) with funeral following. Pastor Ben Arellano will officiate. Burial will took place on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. (CST) at the Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Headland, Alabama.

Ms. DeGrace earned her bachelor and master degrees in education from Auburn University. She began her career as an English teacher at Douglas County H.S. in Georgia, then transferred to librarian. She later moved to LaGrange, Georgia, and became the librarian for Springwood School in Lanett, Alabama, where she worked for 25 years. She was known for her dedication and helpful spirit to both students and faculty, earning several awards, including Teacher of the Year. Soon after retiring, she moved to a family home in Dadeville, and ultimately, spent her last five years in Dadeville Healthcare Center with dementia.

Ms. DeGrace was born on Oct. 6, 1932, in Dothan, Alabama to Furman Rogers, Sr. and Amanda Jane Howell Rogers. She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth DeGrace Herwig of Dunwoody, Georgia; son, Christopher Nelson DeGrace (wife Shawn) and granddaughter, Eleanor Jane DeGrace of Marietta, GA; nieces, Mary Ann Brazell Cook and Jane Strother Price; nephews, Robert Elliott Strother, Geoffrey Rogers Strother, and Furman Guy Strother. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, the Rev. Furman Rogers, Jr.; and sisters, Imogene Rogers Brazell and Irma Rogers Strother.

Flowers or contributions to the First Presbyterian Church in Dadeville, 171 Okefuske Street, Dadeville, AL 36853 are welcomed. Langley Funeral Home in Camp Hill, Alabama, is in charge of arrangements. Memorial messages may be placed at www.langleyfuneralhome.com.