Elizabeth Ann (Bernhard) Rahe 1963- 2021

RAHE, DOOCY, BERNHARD

Posted By: Barry R Huntsinger (email)
Date: 8/22/2021 at 17:07:01

Elizabeth Ann Rahe was born to Philip and Patricia (Doocy) Bernhard on July 28, 1963. She passed away peacefully at her home in rural Lone Rock, Iowa with family by her side on August 6, 2021, after a fierce battle with cancer.

Lovingly known as Betsy to her family and friends, she was the middle child of the seven Bernhard siblings, raised on the family farm west of Bancroft, Iowa. She was an avid softball player and a long-term member of 4-H, graduating from North Kossuth High School in 1981.

Betsy began her life of travel with her sister, Elaine, first living in Mason City, Iowa, then moving on to Texas where she started her unique career with TGI Friday’s. She traveled the United States and eventually the world, opening restaurants stateside and internationally, making friends everywhere she went. No one would ever forget her sassy sense of humor and farm grown work ethic. The experiences shared with family and friends that would visit her while living abroad were some of Betsy’s fondest memories. After years of trotting the globe, she eventually made a temporary home in Melbourne, Australia in the mid-90’s, continuing her career with TGI Friday’s then branching out to her own wedding planning business, Exclusive Weddings, over the next decade.

A Midwest girl at heart, Betsy grew tired of the distance from her family and moved back to Iowa in 2005 with her two Chow Chows, Reggie and Ricardo, in tow. She took ownership of Bancroft Bouquets, worked for the Postal Service, and enjoyed all the extra time spent close to home.

Betsy’s whirlwind romance with her husband, Steve, started when they met working at the haunted house. Once introduced, they were inseparable – always out and about, hunting, fishing, and attending sporting events. They married at Home Plate in Bancroft Memorial Park on September 7, 2013. Betsy and Steve moved to their acreage south of Lone Rock in 2014 to accommodate Betsy’s love of animals. Their farm was littered with bulldogs, goats, ducks, chickens, and kittens. Grandkids, nieces, and nephews coming out to see the animals always brought Betsy so much joy. She and Steve enjoyed rural living, time spent by their acreage pond, and riding the side by side. She always seemed to have a project ready to keep him busy.
Through their marriage, you rarely saw one without the other. Steve was right by Betsy’s side until her last breath.

Left to cherish Betsy’s memory is her husband of 8 years, Steve Rahe, of Lone Rock; stepchildren and grandchildren Jared (Ebony) Rahe, Sydney, Beckett, Maddox, of Lake Park, Iowa; Jamie (Mark) Haisman, Austin, Dominyk, Oakley, of Buffalo Center, Iowa; Jacob (Ann) Rahe, Lillian, Charlotte, Monticello, Minnesota; siblings, Elaine Davis, of Bancroft; Jim (Cathy) Bernhard, of Lake Mills, Iowa; Tim (Carole) Bernhard, of Bancroft; Kevin (Dawn) Bernhard, of Bancroft; Brian (Renee) Bernhard, of Thornton, Colorado; sister-in-law, Beth Bernhard, of Lone Rock; in-laws; Robert and Marilyn Rahe, of New Ulm, Minnesota; Tim (Lora) Rahe, of New Ulm; Brian (Judy) Rahe, of New Ulm; Randy (Laura) Rahe, of Ogden, Utah; Jeff (Donna) Rahe, of Bancroft; Michelle (Randy) Wood, of Burt, Iowa; godchildren; Melissa Davis, Katrina Buffington, Dillon Bernhard, Devin Bernhard, Jade Bradley, Nina Bernhard; many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews; and countless friends that she considered family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Philip and Patricia Bernhard; her brother, John W. Bernhard; and her nephew, Austin Bernhard.

A funeral service was held Thursday, August 12, 2021 at St. John's Catholic Church in Bancroft.

(Source: Henry-Olson Funeral Home, Estherville, Iowa.)