BETOW, Leighton Norman 1929-1994

BETOW, WESTRUM, PRIESTLY

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 8/6/2014 at 13:25:35

Memorial services for Leighton Norman Betow, 65, who died October 31, 1994, will be held Saturday, November 5, at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, St. Ansgar, with Rev. N. E. Betke officiating.

Leighton Norman Betow was born August 20, 1929 on a farm near Myrtle, Minnesota, the son of Frank and Ida (Westrum) Betow. He was baptized by the Rev. Staehling at Myrtle.

He moved to St. Ansgar with his parents when he was six weeks old and attended all twelve grades of public school there, graduating from St. Ansgar High School in the class of 1947.

He worked on vegetable farms and did cemetery maintenance work until 1953. He then worked in a packing house in Albert Lea, Minnesota for a year. In 1964 he took a short course in linotype operation and worked on newspapers at Reinbeck and Forest City until May of 1959. He then did cemetery work and sold tombstones until his retirement. He was a member of the Iowa National Guard from 1948-1856.

On April 8, 1972, he married Virginia Priestly of Osage, and they lived in Osage until 1984 when they moved to St. Ansgar.

Leighton is survived by his wife, Virginia, two brothers, Franklin of St. Ansgar and Burton of Brainerd, Minnesota.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister.

Leighton donated his body to the University of Iowa Medical School.

Source: St. Ansgar Enterprise, Thursday, November 3, 1994.
(Credit: Bonnie Nichols and Sandy Bell)