Armstrong, Betty Jane (1924-2017)

ARMSTRONG, BLACK, YOUNG, MESENBRINK, HENDRIKS, ROEDER, GOLDSBERRY

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 6/7/2017 at 14:54:11

Betty Jane Armstrong
April 6, 1924 - April 25, 2017

Betty Jane Armstrong, age 93, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake.

Betty Jane Black, the youngest of the three children of Ora William and Flossie Jane (Young) Black, was born a half mile from the Imes Covered Bridge in Madison County, Iowa, on April 6, 1924. Raised on the family farm near St. Charles, Iowa, she received her education there, graduating with the Truro High School Class of 1941. Then, she continued her education at the “4 Cs” Commercial College at Des Moines, Iowa. After graduating, she accepted a position as a secretary and stenographer at the American Optical Company in Des Moines.

During that time, Betty met and fell in love with a handsome young Army soldier named Kenneth Armstrong. She traveled by train to join him in California where they married on April 29, 1944, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento. Betty traveled with Ken throughout the United States as his military career advanced. Honorably discharged in 1946, Ken, together with Betty settled in Storm Lake, Iowa, where Ken had attended college. Their union was blessed with two daughters, Susan and Debra.

Strong, caring, and soft spoken, Betty, lovingly, influenced her family in many ways. She loved nature and the outdoors, especially the birds and her flower garden. She passed down her love of nature to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. An avid golfer, she, also, shared her love of the game with her children and grandchildren. She received many awards for her golfing skills, and managed to score two holes in one. An excellent bridge player, she loved playing games with her grandchildren. In addition, she expressed her love for her family and friends by cooking and baking. Indeed, her family, always, looked forward to her delicious pies, and her great grandchildren knew her as “Great Grandma Cookie.” Moreover, Sue and Deb, always, looked forward to their mom’s special birthday treat, a chocolate cream roll cake and a handwritten poem. Betty loved her kitchen and cooked right up until the last months of her life. An active, longtime member of the Lakeside Presbyterian Church of Storm Lake, she taught Sunday School for many years. In addition, as her daughters were growing up, she became a Girl Scout leader. Betty truly, cherished her grandchildren and great grandchildren and the memorable experiences they shared together. Her personal faith and strength in facing illnesses inspired her whole family as she survived two bouts of breast cancer.

Loved, honored, and cherished by her family, Betty’s survivors include her husband, Kenneth, of Storm Lake, Iowa; two daughters: Susan (Craig) Mesenbrink, and Debra (Brent) Hendriks, all of Storm Lake, Iowa; her grandchildren: Nick (Jaime) Mesenbrink, Joshua Hendriks, and his fiancée, Jamie Wright, and Tawny (Hendriks) (Cory) Roeder; and three great grandchildren: Oliver and Finn Mesenbrink and Hudson Roeder; as well as other extended family members and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Roland Black; and her sister, Ardis Goldsberry.

This special day, April 29, 2017, would have been Ken and Betty’s 73rd wedding anniversary.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 29, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. at the Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake. Burial will follow in the Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation will take place Friday, April 28, 2017, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is overseeing the arrangements.

Blessed be the life and legacy of Betty Jane (Black) Armstrong.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, 2017

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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