Leota “Betty Joe” Buchanan Collins

On a snowy winter day, February 6, 1935, in the mountains of Fannin County, Georgia, twins were born to Will and Bertha Davis: a boy, Leo Henry, and a little girl, Leota. They were raised on the farm with their older brother Cecil. Their beloved sister, Edna, died as a child when Leota was still a baby. In 1948, the family built a new house. Indoor plumbing would come almost a decade later. She worked picking beans, digging “Arsh” potatoes, milking cows and gathering eggs. Everyone called her Betty Joe, after a nurse who cared for Will when he had appendicitis.

Betty Joe attended Fannin County High School. Her favorite memory was playing basketball on the varsity team. She played forward, and her nickname was “Bones” because she was so thin. She had curly black hair and sapphire blue eyes. Her senior year, she was introduced to John M. Buchanan, a Korean War veteran, five years older than her. They were married in April 1953, just before she graduated. The couple lived in Detroit for a while, when Johnny worked at the Cadillac plant. She hated the cold Michigan winters, and they returned to Georgia.

Three children arrived, Donald Buchanan, Joy Buchanan Hellerstedt, and Timothy Buchanan. Betty Joe loved her children fiercely. John Buchanan died suddenly on July 21, 1969, at the age of 39. Betty Joe sat with him in the hospital, watching the first men walk on the moon the night before his passing. A widow at 34, with three children under ten years old, Betty would spend the next thirty years keeping her head above water. She found her niche as a life insurance agent with Life of Virginia. Her pitch to the man of the house was “You don’t want your wife to struggle like I have.”

She retired in the 1990’s, returning to live in the farmhouse she grew up in. She married Claude Collins, an old friend, in 1999. They shared many good times and each other’s company before his passing in 2017. Her parents passed away in the 1980’s, and both of her brothers passed recently. Betty was the last surviving member of the little mountain family.

Betty had five grandchildren, Shelby Buchanan Carrier, Connor Buchanan, Tristen Buchanan, Morgan Buchanan Eidson, and Carly Hellerstedt Taylor, and six great-grandchildren. She loved having the whole family on the farm for holidays, her birthdays, and summer gatherings. They called her Bebe, and she was so proud of all of them.

Betty Joe passed away peacefully in the home she loved on July 9, 2026, at the age of 91, surrounded by her family. She was a gentle, caring soul who smiled easily and often. She was generous of spirit, slow to anger, and quick to forgive. She touched many lives. Though her passing leaves a space that will never be filled, she will be with us always. The family will hold a private ceremony to honor her life and the memories we all made together.