Betty Finney Rabenau, of Birmingham, Ala., age 82, died peacefully in the early afternoon of Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at Birmingham Baptist Medical Center after an extended illness.
Born June 24, 1941, in Shelbyville, Tenn., Betty was the daughter of the late Harry Bryan Finney and Elizabeth Davidson Finney and was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Rabenau.
She pursued her passion for life and its details via the arts throughout her life beginning with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., which extended to post-graduate studies at Cambridge University, England. Her professional career began as the first woman illustrator at Boeing, working on NASA’s Saturn V Apollo project, where she met her husband, Richard, of 45 years in Huntsville, Ala., and spanned teaching high school and college arts, interior design, and head of design at Floral Design in Arab, Ala.
She is survived by her children Bryan Rabenau of Ridgewood, NJ, Richard Rabenau of Chelsea, Ala., Karen Rabenau of Minneapolis, Minn.; sisters, Nancy Hulan of Shelbyville, Tenn., and Mary Lou Stone of Auburn, Ala., and preceded by Amy Lynn Wells of Shelbyville, Tenn.; Grandchildren Lucas Rabenau of Ridgewood, NJ, Sarah Rabenau, Richard Rabenau, Hannah Rabenau and Ester Rabenau of Chelsea, Ala., and Ellis Braun.
Funeral services will be held 12 p.m. Saturday, March 9, 2024, in the chapel of Doak-Howell Funeral Home with Pastor Ronny Raines officiating. Burial will follow at Willow Mt. Cemetery in Shelbyville, Tenn.
Visitation with the family will be held prior to funeral services beginning at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Birmingham Public Library @ www.cobpl.org or by mail: 2100 Park Place Birmingham, AL 35203.
Doak-Howell Funeral Home is serving the family.
