Betsy Partin Vinson

Betsy Partin Vinson, M.Med.Sc, CCC-SLP, passed away in Gainesville, Florida 26 December 2020, with her husband, J. R. Timothy Vinson, at her bedside.  After struggling stoically for decades with an autoimmune condition, she became acutely ill Christmas Eve and was unable to recover.  Born at Emory University Hospital 16 February 1953, she grew up in Decatur, Georgia and was a 1971 graduate of Druid Hills High School.  She attended Oxford College of Emory University, and graduated with a BA in Psychology followed by a Master of Medical Science degree from Emory University in 1976.  While at Oxford College she met, and later married, in 1976, Tim Vinson, MS (Organic Chemistry).  Her distinguished professional career began at the Sunland Center (now Tacachale) and the Sidney Lanier School in Gainesville, Florida before she joined the faculty of the University of Florida in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.  She was the author of four widely used textbooks and served as the Director of Clinical Education for over two decades before advancing to Program Director and Graduate Coordinator for the speech and language programs as an Associate Clinical Professor.

Betsy was tireless in her devotion to her family, to her students, and to her friends, and was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Gainesville.  Her college roommate, Dr. Camille Davis-Williams, who practices obstetrics in Atlanta, GA, wrote: “She was a loyal friend since 1971 when it was not ‘normal’ in her village to befriend and love a Black girl and her family with absolutely no regard to color.  God saw her pure heartedness all those years regarding us and her open heart and fair minded nature regarding any situation.”

She was a devoted fan of the University of Florida and the Emory University baseball teams.

She is survived by her husband, Tim; three children, Liz Vinson of Asheville, NC; Jenn Vinson of Dunton, CO; and Will Vinson of Elizabethton, TN.  Other survivors include her brothers, Keith E. Partin (Becky) of Huntersville, NC and William C. Partin (Kim DeGrove) of Atlanta, GA. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Clyde Partin, Sr., and Betty G. Partin of Decatur, GA.

Cremation services are being handled by the Vinson Funeral Home of Tarpon Springs, FL.  Memorial services will be announced at a later date. Those wishing to make a donation in her name can send same to the Clyde Partin, Sr. Director of Athletics & Recreation Endowment Fund or to the First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Florida.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betsy Partin Vinson, please visit our floral store.