Betty Jean O’Leary

O’LEARY, STOEHR, ELKEMA, STEIN, HAZEL, BARJOU, VANDER LEEST, AERTS, TURNER, RHODES, VEREIDE, PRIEBE, PAULSON

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 5/29/2012 at 11:08:51

Betty Jean O’Leary, age 90, died peacefully surrounded by her family Monday, May 21, 2012, at her home in Iowa City, Iowa.

Betty Jean, the daughter of Georgia Stoehr and Charles Elkema, was born May 10, 1922 in Maynard, Iowa. She was raised by her grandparents, Eugene and Lizzetta Abbey Stoehr in Elgin, Iowa, where her grandfather owned the jewelry and clock store. In Elgin, they lived in a well-kept two story home on a large corner lot across the street from the United Methodist Church, where Betty maintained perfect attendance in Sunday School Class. Betty, with best friend, Jane, enjoyed small-town Iowa life. She loved to fish and camp near the Turkey River and occasionally would sneak into Baptist tent revivals in the field behind her home. Her dear friend, Grandma Lizzy, passed away when Betty was in grade school, and at this time her mother’s sister, Aunt Nelle, moved into the home to help care for her and grandpa. Betty graduated from Elgin High School with the Class of 1940, unfortunately, Grandpa Eugene passed away the week prior. Following school, she taught at Maynard, Iowa. She then moved to Cedar Rapids, to live with her mother and to attend the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

During World War II, Betty worked as a Stewardess for United Airlines. She met her husband, Thomas F. O’Leary, at a dance in Cedar Rapids and they were later married on October 10, 1945 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in downtown Iowa City. Together they celebrated more than 40 years of holy matrimony and raised five wonderful children, Tom, Ed, Mike, Cindy and Mary.

Betty and Tom farmed around Iowa City where she worked as a homemaker and he raised livestock and farmed. In 1958 they moved to their home on Elmridge Avenue in Iowa City. During this time she worked as a Social Worker at the Iowa Children’s Hospital, and later obtained her brokerage license. She owned her own business Betty J. O’Leary Real Estate selling farms and homes for 18 years, while her husband Tom worked in sales at Yoder Feeds.

Betty had incredible faith, was a devout Catholic, and a long-time member of St. Patrick Catholic Church where she served on the Altar & Rosary Society, Needle Workers, and Prayer Line. She volunteered for many years for the Mercy Guild at Mercy Hospital, working the front desk and gift shop, where she accumulated 4,000 hours of service. She was always learning and was an avid reader. She enjoyed craftwork, bridge club, and later in life her monthly breakfast gatherings at Midtown with friends. Betty had many adventures, traveling to such places as Ireland, France, Germany, and Holland; twice to Hawaii to visit her daughter, Mary; and her many bus trips through Hills Bank.

Betty loved to cook and had a very good time creating meals from scratch. She will be known for all her countless dinners prepared for family and friends. A few favorite recipes she created include her infamous fried chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, hamburger and noodle casserole, sausage pie, and cheesy potatoes. A little known fact Betty shared with few, was her own incredible recipe for Roquefort Dressing – she called “Betty Cash”. At one time, with the help of a friend, Lloyd Cashman, she had created a label and intended to sell the dressing in stores everywhere.

Through the years of being raised by her grandparents, Betty developed a kind and generous disposition, with unconditional love toward family. She especially had a special place in her life for the elderly and was never too busy to offer her love and support. Over the years, with children in tow, she would make countless trips to visit and attend to the needs of her mother, Georgia, Aunt Nelle and Uncle Lewis; as well as her husband’s mother, Anne, Uncle Dennis and Aunt Elizabeth.

Betty embraced technology and the ever changing world around her. For over 20 years she has been computer savvy and was currently on her 5th generation computer. She enjoyed computer games, email, the Internet, and with the most recent update in technology of video and sound, Skype, where she has been able to keep in close contact with family and friends.

Like her favorite saint, St. Francis of Assisi, Betty had a love for all animals. She and Tom would enjoy countless hours watching the birds and squirrels in the feeders next to the car port. Following Tom’s death, Betty continued to feed all the wildlife around her home. For last 20 years, dogs Beanie and Max, were her most faithful companions and confidants and were enjoyed by neighbors watching Betty and her dog on the front deck.

Betty was a dear friend to those in her neighborhood. We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared their lives and families with her and kept an eye out for Betty. Including devoted friend of over 50 years Glenna Cobb and her family, The Houghton Family whom Betty thought of as an extension of her own family and was able to share over the years daily life activities, family events, and holidays, The Bob and Pauline Gedlinski Family, The Gerry and Sally Murray Family, The Fred and Kaye Kasper Family, The Joyce and Steve Carroll Family, The Kelli and Dayle Campbell Family, Pat Foster and her dog Rudy, The Bobbie Sieberts Family, Anne Tanner, and The Andy and William Coghill-Behrends Family. We are also grateful to Mildred and Elvert Lombard for taking great care of our mother’s house and for their long visits with her, and to Jeanne Seaton for bringing communion to mom at home each month. Betty’s family also wishes to extend our gratitude to Iowa City Hospice and all those who cared for her, especially Angelika Kieffer and Polly Porter, and the nurses and staff of Mercy Hospice Care. We realize there are more people who touched her lives than we are able to include here. Please know that we sincerely thank all of you.

Grandma Betty enjoyed the time she got to spend with each of her grandchildren. She especially valued the effort they made to take time out of their busy lives to visit. The rewards gained are the stories of her childhood, and the 90 plus years of life experiences and knowledge. We have been truly blessed to have shared in her life!

After 54 wonderful years of living in her home, Betty died peacefully with the strength, love and support of her family on Monday evening, May 21, 2012. She lived 90 years and 11 days. Betty thoroughly enjoyed her 90th birthday on May 10th, the many flowers, cards, phone calls and visitors, all in the company of friends and family on her front deck.

In Heaven, Betty will join those who preceded her in death including her husband, Tom, June 21, 1986; a son, Tommy on May 11, 2009; a granddaughter, Tamra O’Leary; son-in-law, Dennis Stein; as well as her beloved grandparents, mother, Georgia and Aunt Nelle and Uncle Lewis.
Those who will cherish Betty’s memory and continue her life legacy are her children, Ed (wife, Jane) of Rapid City, SD, Mike (wife, Terri) of Riverside, Cindy Hazel (husband, Skip) of St. Charles, MN, and Mary O’Leary (husband, Jean-Francois Barjou) of Paris, France; a daughter-in-law, Delia O’Leary of Dallas, Texas; her grandchildren, Tommy and Brian (Ashley ) and their children Kaydence and Ethan, all of Texas, Michelle Vander Leest (husband, Troy) and their children, Alexa, Taylor, and Gage of Lynnville, Eric (partner, Johan Aerts) of Waukee and David of Des Moines, Ryan (Dawn) and their son, Aidan, of Iowa City, Nick Turner and Kevin of Coralville, Missy Stein of Wisconsin and Matt Stein (fiancé, Christen Rhodes) of Kansas, Sherri Hazel and her daughter, Alyssa of Oklahoma, Kristine Vereide (husband, Bob) and their sons, Alex and Caleb of Minnesota, Mike Hazel of California, Monica Priebe (husband, Greg) of Oregon and Mark Paulson of Alaska.

Betty’s Life Story written by her grandson, Eric O’Leary