Betty was our beloved breadmaker, dahlia supplier, quilting queen and card shark.
More than just the world’s best wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt, Betty was the heart of every community she joined.
Her loving husband of 50 years, Tony, her daughters Kristie and Lyla (and her husband Martyn), her son Bruce (and his wife Alyshah), her brother in law Phil,
and much-cherished grandchildren Natalie and Dominic, were with her when she passed unexpectedly and peacefully.
Betty was born in Manor on April 12, 1947 and raised on a farm outside Redvers. Her parents, immigrants from Denmark, raised their seven children to work hard, have a strong faith in the Lord, and to support others. Betty attended elementary at Wauchope School from 1953 to 1959 and Redvers High School from 1959 to 1965. She was confirmed in 1962 in Dannevirke Lutheran Church, Redvers.
Betty moved to Regina in 1965 where she earned her teaching certificate. She taught in Torquay, Snow Lake, Redvers, and Lumsden. Teaching in Filmore, she
met the love of her life, Tony. They were the first couple to be married at the new Dannevirke Lutheran Church on July 14, 1973, and were inseparable from that moment on. They moved to Rama where they bought their first home and began their life as a family – welcoming Kristie in 1976. A move to ‘the farm’, outside Buchanan in 1977 allowed Betty to grow her veggies, flowers, and family – adding
Lyla in 1979 and Bruce in 1981.
Always on the go, Betty was often found at the Faith Lutheran Church, the Buchanan Skating Rink, and at Rama School. Betty shared her love of learning with
all the students who passed through the doors, whether they liked it or not. Each held a special place in her heart. In 1990, she finished her Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan, a notable achievement for a busy, working mom, and an inspiration for her children.
In 1993, the family moved to Outlook where she found a community and church that she never wanted to leave. She loved her home and the vista overlooking the South Saskatchewan River. She would often comment that the view was unmatched – even after travelling the world from Austria to New Zealand, or climbing mountains in the Rockies. It was here in Outlook that she continued her mother’s legacy of flower gardening, passing on the dahlias she inherited to her daughters.
While working at the Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute and through her volunteer work at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and the Outlook and District Food Bank, she was able to demonstrate her faith, generosity and kindness. She was an avid quilter, enjoying the socializing as much as the making, with the Ladies hitting the 10,000 quilt milestone in 2017.
She was often seen in her favourite armchair, next to Tony, knitting toques and slippers. When the pandemic began she quickly turned her efforts to sewing masks to keep her family and community safe. Her love of swimming propelled her and Tony to help lead the fundraising for the new Outlook Swimming Pool. When her children started their careers, she was quick to visit, whether it was Washington D.C., Leeds, Melbourne, Edmonton or Toronto. She always brought pastries and buns, but in 2018, she also brought a little extra luck to the Toronto Marlies Calder Cup final. Betty was there to hoist the cup on the ice, hand-in-hand with Bruce.