Betty Bright, a Midway fixture and the city's first female council member, died Tuesday at 93; mass Friday

Betty Bright

Betty W. Bright, a lifetime fixture in Midway for most of its residents and the first woman on the City Council, died Tuesday afternoon at her home at The Homeplace in Midway. She was 93.

Elizabeth Weisenberger Bright was the daughter of the late Augustus Joseph Weisenberger and Louise Egalite Weisenberger and the widow of William “Billy” Morrison Bright IV. She was preceded in death by a brother, Philip Joseph Weisenberger II, who was the owner and operator of Weisenberger Mills, and three sisters, Edith Woeber, Mary Louise Martin and Ann Bozarth, who was the mother of former mayor Tom Bozarth.

She is survived by two chosen daughters, Elizabeth “Missy” Louise (Mike) Bradley and Patricia “Pattie” Bright (Chuck) Wilson; four grandsons, Charles Schade (Saree) Wilson III, William Mathney (Kimberly) Wilson, Robert Hammond (Melissa) Wilson, and Thomas Joseph (Morgan) Wilson; four great-grandchildren, Lacie, Ellie, Cameron, and Tripp; her sister-in-law, Betty McWilliams Weisenberger; and many nieces and nephews.

She was born in Lexington but was otherwise a lifelong resident of Midway, except during her husband's Air Force career. She was a graduate of Cardome Academy in Georgetown and attended the University of Kentucky. She was a devoted member of St. Leo Catholic Church in Versailles for more than 50 years and served on the Parish Council. She was active with the Woodford County Homemakers and the Midway Woman’s Club.

During her 22 years on the City Council, her passions were the restoration and preservation of the 1917 Model T Ford Fire Truck and the maintenance of the Midway Cemetery. She was known for her love of animals. Her family thanked her care givers who helped her at Daisy Hill and The Homeplace.

Visitation was held Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Leo, followed by a rosary service. The funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the church, with committal and inurnment at 1 p.m. in the Midway Cemetery. Memorial donations are suggested to the St. Leo Building Fund, 295 Huntertown Road, Versailles KY 40383.