NORFOLK, Va. — Betty Jean Wills, 52, passed away Jan. 28, 2013, in Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth. She was the daughter of Harriet Wills-Hunter and the late Curtis L. Wills Jr.

Betty was a former member of First Baptist Church of Suffolk and a graduate of Norfolk State University.

Besides her mother, Betty is survived by her brother, Brian Steel Wills and wife, Elizabeth, of Wise, Va.; niece, Lauren Bradley, of Peachtree City, Ga.; and a special friend, Charles Slaughter.

From an early age, Betty Jean was an avid horse enthusiast. She shared a love of Tennessee Walking horses with her family, and she spent countless hours riding her Tennessee Walkers at the family farm. She was happiest making a blue-ribbon victory lap on one of her dad’s horses at many of the horse shows where she exhibited in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

A memorial service will be held Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, at 2 p.m. in the R. W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory, 509 W. Washington St., Suffolk, Va., by Dr. John Corson. The family will receive friends one hour before the service starting at 1 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to FACT (Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater) at 520 Viking Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, or the local horse rescue organization, Diamonds in the Rough, c/o Sonja Ruter, Merry Oaks Stable, 19251 Bob White Road, Windsor, VA 23487. Condolences may be registered at www.rwbakerfh.com.