Billie Rose Petrou

Billie Rose Britt Petrou passed away on the evening of September 14, 2020, after a brief illness. Born on March 4, 1936, to Sudie Pittman and Willis Carl Britt, BR (as she was affectionately known by friends) grew up in Lumberton, North Carolina. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957, she married William Hutson Wester II and moved to Henderson, North Carolina. There, she lived for the next 40 years. During this time, she raised her two sons, William Hutson Wester III and Carl Britt Wester. In 1979, she married Homer Donald Petrou, MD. Billie Rose relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1998, following Homer’s death. Billie Rose was a very active part of the communities in which she lived throughout her life. She was well-known and endeared to many people as she moved through the world with grace and elegance and always with the impeccable manners of a Southern Belle, no matter the circumstance. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with a flair for fashion, known for her height and hallmark red hair - even playing a season on the Redheads Basketball team as a teenager. As a young elementary school teacher in Henderson, BR touched the lives of many young children. It continues to be a common experience for her sons to meet her former students from the 1960s who fondly recall their memories of her as their “very favorite teacher”. Those memories invariably include “she had the most beautiful red hair I had ever seen.” Billie Rose LOVED sports – namely, tennis, golf and anything Carolina, but especially basketball and football. One of her last “to do” wishes was to watch the season-opener UNC-Syracuse football game with her boys. They are confident that she was quietly thrilled with the final score. She was an avid golfer and tennis player in her younger years in Henderson. Billie Rose made and maintained many of her cherished friendships around a Bridge table. It would be impossible to list all the friends with whom she enjoyed the game of Bridge, but assuredly, these women held a special place in her heart and the memories of her life. When Billie Rose moved to Wilmington in 1998, she embraced her new home with open arms. She LOVED everything about living in Wilmington. It was always amusing to call her on a cold and rainy day in the Piedmont because it was always “sunny and 70” in Wilmington. She wasn’t particularly fond of the hurricanes, but often much fun was had at Hurricane house parties held with her close friends. Her family is very thankful and grateful to the many people whose friendships made her years spent in Wilmington so very special and memorable. Surviving Billie Rose are her sons William “Bill” Hutson Wester III, and his wife, Kim of League City, Texas, and Carl Britt Wester and his wife, Amy of Wake Forest, North Carolina. She had five grandchildren – Brittany Lynn Wester of Wisconsin, Datyn Wester of Texas, Lyberty Wester of Arizona, Alex Wester and Ben Wester both of North Carolina and great grandson Zayne Hutson Wester. She was preceded in death by her sister, Yvonne Britt Murphrey of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. At BR’s request, the family will have a private day of celebration of her life to share good food and fond memories.

Billie Rose Petrou

March 4, 1936 - September 14, 2020