Bethany Joy Pentimone - Our "Rocker" Baby & Smiley

Bethany Joy Pentimone was born in Phoenix, AR. Why did we call her "Rocker Baby"? Because she rocked in the rocking chair ALL THE TIME! She so enjoyed that blue rocking chair. She rocked so hard at times that once she flipped up over the chair and ended up on the floor behind it. I had to put a "rocker" picture first! That picture shows what we called her "full body rock." Bethany rocked that chair so long and so hard that eventually it was broken beyond repair.

Bethany was truly named correctly when we gave her the middle name "Joy"! She was always a joy to be around. You will rarely see a picture of her where she wasn't smiling with the biggest smile. So she also earned the nickname of "Smiley." Check it out below! Bethany was just a delight to be with. Even as she was growing up, she never seemed to lose that smile or that joy. She was also our most gullible child. We could usually have a good laugh about Bethany, and she always laughed along with us. The ability to laugh at herself rather than be offended was a wonderful trait that Bethany got from her Grandmother Pentimone.

Bethany, like our other children, made a profession of faith while in our home. I don't know the age, but she was certainly diligent in seeking the Lord. I had the privilege of baptizing her when she was in her teen years. Bethany would arise early every day to read her Bible and pray. When she was 15, she started in the Bible Bee. School was challenging for Bethany. When she was assigned 800 verses to memorize in 3 months, we saw it as an insurmountable task. But Bethany got down to work and surprised us all with what she did! She memorized all 800 verses, qualified for Nationals, and then memorized another 300 verses. As the years of Bible Bee went on, Bethany studied and memorized so much. She used to have the goal of memorizing the entire New Testament. I don't know if that is still a goal she is working toward. She learned the Bible Bee material well and really enjoyed the minor prophets when that was assigned. Bethany qualified for Nationals each of her four years in the Bible Bee and did a great job each year. Although she never made semi-finals, she always learned all of her verses and knew her Bible study materials well. Through her years in Bible Bee, Bethany became a better student and a much better piano player. The skills she learned from working so hard really made a difference in her in many areas.

Bethany also liked to read books. That carried over even after high school graduation as she would check out big books from the library. I know history, and particularly WW 1, was of great interest to her. She also enjoyed babysitting and picked up a few side jobs through the years. Bethany was really excelled playing the piano. I remember just laying on the sofa and listening to her play "River Flows in You." What a great job she did! After we planted a church in 2016, Bethany was our piano player and did an excellent job! She was so diligent to practice and enjoyed every minute of it. After graduating high school, Bethany and Amy worked side-by-side in their cleaning business I helped them get started. They enjoyed being together and were best friends.

Bethany got married when she was 22 years old. She was the most beautiful bride! Heather worked many, many hours on the dress to make it more modest since Bethany was always concerned about modesty. Heather also cooked the food for the wedding reception, which included nearly 300 people! The meal was delicious. Everything about the day seemed absolutely perfect, including it being a 60 degree day in early January. Heather and Bethany worked together and organized so much to make this wedding a great event for all who attended.

In November of 2021, our first grandbaby was born, Noelle Joy. We are sad to report that Matt and Bethany have never let us see our grandbaby to this day, nor have they ever sent us a picture of our grandbaby. It is heartbreaking! Thankfully, friends have sent us pictures of this dear little girl. She has Bethany's bright eyes and the same joy we saw in our dear Bethany. In all of this, God is in control, and we are trusting Him through this trial. We pray for Bethany and her family daily. We love Bethany and long to see her again!