02/14/2026
Good morning, today we would like to share a very special happy Valentine’s Day with a very special tribute, to a very special women in heaven. Today we want to recognize….. Grammy
Before there was West Christian Academy… there was Grammy.
Our story doesn’t begin with a school.
Our love for others and their children — and our desire to be there for families in times of need — goes back generations.
Long before West Christian Academy or West Theological Seminary ever existed, Dr. and Ms. West had children on their hearts. From the earliest years of their marriage, they worked with children, served in children’s homes, and devoted their lives to caring for other people’s kids.
But even that story did not begin with them.
Both grew up in families where caring for others was simply a way of life.
Today, we want to honor one of the earliest and strongest examples of that legacy — a woman named Betty Williamson. But no one called her Betty. Not the children she cared for. Not their parents. Not even their grandparents. Even her own Pastor did not call her by her given name.
To everyone, she was simply known as Grammy.
She helped raise hundreds — perhaps thousands — of other people’s children. Whether families had demanding work schedules, were single parents, or simply needed an extra hand, Grammy was there. She made it possible for people to do what they needed to do by faithfully caring for their children whenever she was needed. She was much more than a “babysitter”.
When we visited her, we always knew what we would find — a house full of kids. Sometimes five. Sometimes twenty. Sometimes even more. Her home was always open. Always busy. Always full of life.
She loved with her whole heart.
She never turned anyone away.
As a child, visiting Grammy was always fun — and it always felt safe. She believed it was her responsibility to be there for those children. More than a calling, it was her life.
Long before there was a school.
Long before there was a seminary.
There was a woman who quietly lived out a lifelong devotion to loving, serving, and caring for other people’s children.
We are grateful for a legacy that continues to shape who we are — and why we do what we do.
Grammy, we miss you.
We love you.
And we know you’re looking down, proud of the legacy you were such a faithful part of — and that we are honored to continue.
