After a brief and courageous battle with cancer, Betty peacefully passed from this world and into the next realm on Christmas morning about 7:45 a.m. at her home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.Born and raised Betty Joyce Southern to Cline Hood Southern and Edith Pearl Stutler Southern in Kingman, Kan., she became a music major and then was a performer and teacher most of her life, as well as a wife and mother. Self-inquiry and awareness throughout her life were her strongest callings. She loved all life, and especially her cats! Having traveled many places in the world for music and spiritual studies, Betty had an amazingly full life. Among quite a few writings that she left to her children, this one seems to express both her experience and her beliefs the best: "Just as what we call "death" is not the end of our life experience, what we call "birth" was not the beginning. We are Eternal Consciousness expressing ourselves in an endless, glorious dance of Consciousness. We will never cease to be. I love you guys. Xoxoxo Mom." Dec. 19, 2006.Betty is survived by her two children and three sisters, Jeffrey Stuart Hamilton of Hercules, Calif., and Jennifer Susan Wray of Fort Walton Beach, and Nancy Borup of Lakewood, Colo., Kay Rush of Thornton, Colo., and Helen Cummings of Porter, Texas.An online more detailed obituary may be found at: http://www.daviswatkins.com/?pagetype=memlistIn lieu of flowers, friends and family are encouraged to donate to: Pet Welfare, 683 Range Road, Eglin AFB, FL 32542 (850-678-5066).http://www.petwelfare.net/needs.htmlOr: Alaqua Animal Refuge, Walton County, http://alaquaanimalrefuge.com/support/donate/ 914 Whitfield Road, Freeport, FL 32439. Phone: (850) 880-6399; fax: (850) 835-5665; email: info@aarflorida.com Friends and family are invited to a small Celebration of Life gathering from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, at Tommy Mattonie's, 723 Eglin Pkwy. N.E., Fort Walton Beach (850-862-0895); http://www.tommymattonies.com. Additional parking in the rear.Davis-Watkins Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.