City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Betty Faulkner Dodrill McDonald

Raeford, North Carolina

Age 81.
Died 09/20/2025.

Betty Faulkner Dodrill McDonald
Betty Faulkner Dodrill McDonald, 81, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2025, surrounded by her loved ones. Her Presbyterian faith never wavered, and she departed this life following the final amen of the prayer of commendation.

Betty was born in Cumberland County on January 29, 1944, to chemist and musician LeRoy Faulkner and Red Cross nurse and homemaker Inez Truelove Faulkner. She was preceded in death by her son, Wilmer Allen (Mackey) McDonald III; her brother, James (Buddy) Dodrill; and her nephew, Christopher Dodrill.
She attended Orleans American High School in Orleans, France, where she excelled as captain of the cheerleading team, was active in various forms of dance, and was recognized with numerous honors, including Miss Orleans American High School, Football Homecoming Queen, Best Dancer, and Best Dressed of the Class of 1962.

Upon returning to Fayetteville, NC, and attending Worth Business College, Betty met and married Wilmer Allen McDonald Jr. in Raeford, NC. She became a co-owner of the family business, Raeford Cleaners, where she managed the books and assisted in operating the establishment. Later, she worked at Barbee Pharmacy, where she became well known in the community for her compassion and willingness to go above and beyond to help others.

Betty was a skilled homemaker, most passionate about her accomplishments in the kitchen. She had an eye for design and enjoyed many creative pursuits, including interior design, bow-making, and floral arrangements. Of all her talents and achievements, however, she was proudest of being a devoted mother and grandmother.

She is survived by her daughter, Heidi McDonald of Southern Pines, NC; her grandchildren, Maddox McDonald of Myrtle Beach, SC, and Mallory McDonald of Southern Pines, NC; her nephew, Travis (Teresa) Dodrill of Spindale, NC; and her dear friend, Audra McCormick of Laurinburg, NC, whose support was a constant blessing.

Betty will be remembered as a kind yet strong woman who fought bravely until the end. Her legacy of love, creativity, and faith will live on in the hearts of her family and all who knew her.

The family will announce a celebration of Betty's life at a later date.

For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.


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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.

Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.

Our Promise

Apples to Apples

Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.


The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.

Genuine Care

We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.


Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.


We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.

State Wide

Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.


Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.

Our Services

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$2875.66

We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.

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Direct Cremation

$1196.75

Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.

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Cremation with Visitation

$1917.84

City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.

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Cremation with Private Family Viewing

$1596.75

City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.

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Immediate Burial

$2497.50

An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.

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Traditional Funeral

$6081.48

We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.

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Green Burial

$3033.75

This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.

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Aquamation

$2640.59

As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations