Jane Dettor Gowen

Betty Jane Dettor Gowen, 93, of Batesville, MS, passed away peacefully in her home on Monday, May 30.  

The family will receive friends for visitation on Thursday June 2nd from 6-8 pm.  Services will be Friday June 3rd at 11am. Both will be held at First Baptist Church in Batesville. Interment will be held at Magnolia Cemetery.

Jane was born to the late Frank “Doc” and Hettie Collier Dettor on December 14, 1928. She was the youngest of three daughters. A gentle Christian upbringing would serve as her lifelong support.  Throughout Jane’s lifetime she quietly demonstrated the qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman: her character was noble; she set about her work vigorously; she trusted in the Lord and her family trusted in her.

Jane attended school in Batesville and married her best friend, Clyde Brown Gowen, on October, 22, 1948. The couple would have forty happy years together before Clyde’s untimely death in 1988. Jane and Clyde were blessed with three daughters and the family resided in Batesville where they were faithful members of First Baptist Church. Jane was a true Southerner who loved sweet tea, Coca Cola, entertaining family and friends, cooking, and sewing. She made beautiful outfits for her three daughters throughout their school years and sometimes shared her talent for sewing with friends. Jane was diligent and hard working. She worked for more than fifty years as an accountant at William H. Polk & Co. where she was loved by clients and highly valued by the firm. Throughout her lifetime, Jane loved cooking. She kept a starter for her well-loved homemade bread and gave countless loaves to community friends. She was still baking her famous bread in her nineties - an estimate for the number of loaves she made and gifted over the years was more than four thousand. Her home was always open for large family gatherings and her freezer full of home baked treats.

Jane is preceded in death by her husband Clyde, her parents, and two sisters, Sarah Wells and Marjorie Cagle. Her legacy and memory will live on through three devoted daughters: Becky Gowen Cox of Batesville, MS; Jennifer (Michael) Melton of Cleveland, MS; and Connie (Bill) Reed of Batesville, MS. In addition to her three daughters, Jane is survived by four beloved grandchildren: Dusty Reed; Carley Reed (Justin) Benton; Molly Cox (Thom Hunter) Pratt; and Gowen (Mallorie) Cox and two great-grandchildren: Beckett Benton and Parker Pratt.

Remembrances may be given to First Baptist Church, 104 Panola Ave. Batesville MS 38606

“In times of trouble and in times of our downfalls, we need someone to hold onto. Most of the time, we depend on our family members, a friend we can trust the most, or our partner. But the highest them all is God.” “You Raise Me Up” is a powerful hymn that can mend our broken hearts and soul. The words and lyrics are strong enough to make us realize how lucky we are to have GOD beside us. This song can bring us closer to God ONLY if we accept him into our hearts.

God can relieve the pain and worries on our shoulders. He is the only one we can acquire inner peace from. To be able to do this, we need to trust in him and have greater faith in him. Let us all say a little prayer by paying attention to “You Raise Me Up”.