Elizabeth Ann Boyle Farmer 1947 - 2020

BOYLE, BELL, FARMER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/19/2021 at 16:24:33

Sioux City Journal
25 November 2020

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Farmer

Sioux City

Elizabeth “Betty” Farmer, 73, passed away Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.

Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. today at St. Michael Church, 2223 Indian Hills Drive, with Fr. David Hemann presiding. Burial at Calvary Cemetery will immediately follow the funeral. Visitation for family and friends was held Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 3012 Jackson St., and the prayer vigil began at 7 p.m. with Fr. Peter Nguyen officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Online condolences may be directed to meyerbroschapels.com.

Betty acted the lady in every respect. Her light shines so brightly that even death will never extinguish it. She found beauty in the simplest things, made friends wherever she went, left lasting impressions on everyone who crossed her path, was generous out of her need and her excess. She opened her heart and home to everyone. She loved her family beyond measure, embraced and celebrated their differences, challenged them to be their best, held their hands through their worst, and cheered every victory no matter how small.

A woman of profound faith, she was always listening for “the whisper,” the quiet stirrings of God in her heart and mind. So, her telling us at her bedside at home in her last hour, “He said, ‘Come to me,’” followed by her spontaneous “Got to go!” helped us understand our immediate loss as she answered God’s call on Saturday.

Her birth certificate read “Elizabeth Ann Boyle” and noted that she was born in Sioux City on July 3, 1947, to Charles and Bertie (Bell) Boyle. But nearly everyone called her “Betty.” Her role as the eldest of six children gave rise to her natural leadership abilities that marked her formative years. While the location of home changed due to her dad’s employment with Sioux Bee Honey (from Sioux City to Temple and Rogers, Texas, to Waycross, Ga.), the importance of family and home in her life never changed.

Betty’s authentic love of others, extraordinary level of energy, and astonishing fortitude became apparent and led to her exceptional rise among her peers at Ware County High School (Waycross), where she served as student council president, football and basketball cheerleader, and officer of several student and service organizations. It was during that time that she met the love of her life, John Farmer.

Betty and John were married on July 4, 1966, at St. Joseph’s Church in Waycross, Ga. They relocated to Sioux City the first year of their marriage so John could begin his nursing studies. While military and advanced studies for John took them away briefly, it is in Sioux City that they raised their four children and spent the majority of their years.

Betty always believed that the greatest gift she could give her children was loving their father. Betty chose to work at home until all her children were in school so as to devote 100% of her attention to her family’s needs. In the mid-1980s she reentered the workforce with a position at the office of Dr. Pallanch in Sioux City; in 1989 she began her 27-year journey with Briar Cliff University. During her years at Briar Cliff she made many friends, mentored many students who worked for her in the Admissions Office, and proudly supported the men’s basketball program.

Betty’s pride in her Irish heritage and traditions permeated every aspect of her life. St. Patrick’s Day re- quired appropriate decorations in her home and office. Of course, Notre Dame was her favorite team; Saturday game days meant the team roster on her table, family members joining the cheering section, and “Wahoo!” for every team score. Her favorite moments include trips to South Bend to the Notre Dame campus with her family, standing near the #1 Moses, cheering the team as they entered the field, and seeing the ball go through the goal posts guarded by “Touch down Jesus.”

Betty brought her passion for life to so many activities. Chief among those was her love of flowers. She tended her garden with such care and adorned them with decorations. Decorating was not limited to her yards; Betty had a penchant for decorating. She had indoor and outdoor decorations for every season. She would spend days packing up the just celebrated holiday and then more days decorating every room of her home for the new season complete with linen napkins for the dining room and towels for the kitchen. Betty was always seeing the possibilities in people and things. One of her favorite activities was visiting secondhand and resale shops, finding items “with potential” and rescuing them.

The last five and a half years, Betty brought her A-game to her fight with cancer. Through the chemo, radiation, and multiple alternative treatments, she didn’t miss a single day of work; she showed up for life every day. While ultimately cancer took her life and body, it never killed her spirit. To the very end she modeled grace, lived faith with great hope, and loved deeply.

Betty is survived by her husband, John; her children, Amy Kleinberg (Hugh), Emily Ehlers, Kevin Ehlers, Scott Farmer, and Molly Cook (Jaime); seven grandchildren, Ireland Kovarna, Sean Ehlers, Scottlynd Farmer, Nixon Farmer, Casey Rooney, Alexandra Rooney, and Jadyn Cook; her mother, Bertie Boyle; four siblings, Kate Wiskus (Kenneth), Randy Boyle (Nancy), Deidre Engel (Gary), and Bryon Boyle (Barbara); and numerous nieces and nephews.

Betty was preceded in death by her father, Charles Boyle; and her brother, Rodney Boyle.

We were given the gift of Betty, as our wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend, coworker, neighbor. As heartbreaking as it is, now the time has come to give her back to God. How lucky we were that He brought her to us. How sad we are that He has called her home.