Bettie Carey Bragg

Bettie Carey Bragg, age 78, of Canton, GA, passed away on February 1st., 2025. She was born in Sanford, NC, the daughter of Cooper Burkhead and Dorothy Rice Burkhead. Bettie was known as an outgoing, friendly, and academically gifted student at Lee Central High, where she was a cheerleader and member of the National Honor Society. She then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on scholarships earning her degree in Architectural Interior Design. She was on the University’s Finance Board and graduated with honors.

Bettie began her career as a teacher at the University Alabama before becoming Vice President of Designers II, in Chamblee, GA, where she worked for 25 years. She then became a partner in Niles Bolton Associates, an architectural firm in Atlanta, where she started and was head of the Interiors Dept. for 19 years before retiring. During her career she traveled all over the US, to Japan, Guam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Canada, and worked in Shanghai, China. Bettie’s projects won several notable awards and her work on a large historical hotel in Chicago was published in a national magazine.

Bettie and her husband, Joe, lived in Dunwoody most of their working careers and were members of St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church for 20 years. She served as a deacon at St Luke’s and was on the Architectural Committee. After retiring they lived in Jasper before building their retirement home in Canton, where they became members of Antioch Christian Church. Bettie loved people, her work, mentoring young designers, art, traveling and her yellow lab. She is predeceased in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Joseph, a daughter Lisa Carey of Dublin, GA, a step-son Devlin Bragg and wife, Jennifer, a grandson Travis Bench and his wife Mollie, all of Liberty Hill, TX, a step-son Anthony of Athens, GA, a sister Harriet Phillips of Winston-Salem, NC, a niece, Christi Lyons of Nashville, TN., an aunt Henrietta Fulton of Winston-Salem, an uncle, John Henry Rice, of Sanford, NC and other relatives.

Bettie’s celebration of life service will be held at Antioch Christian Church in Canton on February 15th., at 2:00PM, and her remains will be placed in the Columbarium Garden at St. Lukes church in Dunwoody, GA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.

This is a courtesy announcement from May and Smith Funeral Directors