Betty Stewart

Betty Jean Beaver was born March 23, 1929 in Tacoma, Washington to Dolphen Martin Beaver and Marie Ella Girton.  She was the first of two daughters.  Her sister, Dolores, always known as Dodie, was born two years later.  Betty grew up during the depression and her father always found a way to feed the family.  The most interesting time was when her uncle won a gold mine in a poker game.  Her father and her Uncles all worked the mine together and supported all of their families.  Betty talked about summer trips to Death Valley and how hot is was, swimming in the waters of the mine to keep cool.  Betty was always close to her aunts and uncles, in part because the families all worked and stayed together to survive, and also because most of her uncles and aunts didn’t have children of their own, so they considered both Betty and Dodie as their own children.  Many years later Betty would continue to have Aunty Bert, Uncle Everett and Uncle Harold at her home for holiday meals.

Betty witnessed the only flight of the Spruce Goose from a dentist office window when she was a teenager.  She didn’t seem to think it was that big of a deal, it just came out in a conversation one day.

Betty didn’t love school, but she loved going to the movies, dancing and playing tennis.  She often beat the older grandkids at ping pong.  She was quite popular on the dance floor in her teens.  When she met Bill Stewart, he took her dancing and charmed her.  They were married in 1949.  To the marriage were born four children, Ken (wife Marion), Jerry (wife Marlena), Bill (wife Paula) and finally a daughter, Karen (husband Clint).  Bill’s employment took them from California to Colorado, to Arizona and finally back to California again.  They raised the family in Fountain Valley, California.  This is where Betty took cake decorating lessons and became so good that she began teaching Wilton Cake Decorating classes. She worried so much about her cakes that she always carried an emergency “cake repair Kit” when delivering them with a sign on her car, “Beautiful cake in transit”.  Her perfect cakes covered everything from weddings to Eagle Scout celebrations, birthdays to baby showers and more.  Her children and grandchildren all have fond memories of Betty putting frosting on their fingers or between graham crackers.  She spent many late nights working on cakes.  Betty made wedding cakes for her four children and her oldest grandson.

Betty was also a wonderful cook.  She was famous for her Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, tacos, chile relleno casserole and especially her Christmas cookies.  Most of her children and grandchildren have her recipes as their favorite things to cook.  Despite her great cooking, one of her favorite desserts was simple root beer floats which she had almost nightly for the last few years of her life.  She also loved playing cribbage and serving popcorn with extra butter.  In fact, all of her children and most of her grandchildren know how to play cribbage, an almost forgotten game in today’s world.  No matter who she played, Betty usually won!

After retirement Betty and Bill enjoyed 10 years working at Yellowstone in the Grant Stores.  It was like a paid vacation, working days and exploring the park evenings and on weekends.  Betty ended up in charge of the clothing department at the park’s biggest store.  For those 10 years Yellowstone was a favorite place for family members to visit.  Eventually they sold their home in Fountain Valley and moved to Lebanon, Oregon.  They loved the country environment with their house on the mountain, and made many new lifelong friends.

While in California, Betty became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She had a strong testimony, she taught in the primary organization for almost 50 years, and served in the Portland, Oregon temple for 12 years.

Nearly four years ago Betty was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the blood.  If you know her, you know she did everything the doctors told her to do and for a while she was thriving.  She never complained about the diagnosis or the treatments. Bill was now in an assisted living center and Betty couldn’t live alone anymore.  She moved to Utah where she enjoyed watching her new home being built.  For two years, she lived in her lovely home, making more friends here in Syracuse.  She also loved participating in activities with the 12 great grandchildren who lived in Utah.  Last year her granddaughter, Kelsey, and her husband and baby moved in with Betty.  As Betty’s memory started to fail, it was a great help to have company and to have Kelsey handling the meals.

Betty’s health and memory continued to worsen, so she was moved into Raintree Assisted Living Center.  Unfortunately, she fell, breaking her neck in three places.  Still strong and resilient, she carried on despite the painful neck brace she had to wear. She read her scriptures, shared her testimony and always thanked the Lord for what she had. Eventually, the pain took over and Hospice got involved to help ease her pain.  She passed away quietly in her sleep on August 23, 2019.  At her passing, she had 16 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren who all love and adore her.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. at the Buffalo Ridge Ward, 2500 S. Bluff Road, Syracuse.  Friends may visit family Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.

Interment, Willamette National Cemetery, Portland on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road.

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