TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Sep 11, 2017
Former TBA Executive Director Billie Roberta Bethel died Saturday. She was 85. A native of Missouri, Bethel earned her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1957. She practiced in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee before joining the TBA. She managed the organization for 18 years, until she moved to Gatlinburg in 1982. Following the move, she practiced law alongside her husband, Frank Newman Bratton. Services for Bethel will be held tomorrow, with visitation at 3 p.m. and funeral services following at 4 p.m., at the Atchley Funeral Home in Sevierville.