Betty Ann Teigen obituary
Betty met Bruce Raymond Teigen at a frat dance in college, and they married in August 1955. They lived in Coronado, California. thence Oak Harbor, Washington; For a time while Bruce served as a pilot in the Navy. They moved to Seattle, then returned home to Montana in 1961, making their home on D Street (Christmas Wreath Lane).
They had three daughters: Sharon, Susan, and Carol. Betty worked hard as a stay-at-home mother. As a family, they especially enjoyed exploring the mountains of Montana, camping in their travel trailer and driving their vintage Land Rover, “The Albatross.” When the teens tired of camping, they bought a small ski boat, moved the trailer to Cooney Dam, and spent most summer weekends on the water with family and friends.
Betty and Bruce were sociable. They were members of the square dancing club, where they met many of their dear friends. Their group danced, camped, and traveled together for years. The couple were adventurers, once traveling to Mexico with friends in a Cessna plane. They traveled frequently, often driven by Bruce, to see their daughters: Carol in Utah, Sharon in Washington state and the various places Susan had lived, from Michigan, to California, to Bangkok, Thailand. As a couple, they drove to New England to see fall colors, traveled to Alaska, sailed to the San Juan Islands, and visited the pyramids in Egypt.
An avid flower gardener, Betty was a member of the Billings Bloomers Violet Club, raised thousands of African violets in her home, and often shared her violets with others. She maintained a beautiful yard filled with perennials, including irises, some of which came from the family farm. Private in her faith, yet faithful in her service, Betty was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for 62 years, where she volunteered in the office and was part of a women’s circle. She also did a lot of volunteer work at St. John’s. John’s Lutheran Home, including helping with the senior day care program for 25 years.
Betty was a great mother and grandmother, and a dear friend to many. She was hardworking, loving and kind. She loved to laugh and observe the world around her. Betty was admired for her courage and strength of spirit. She handled adversity with grace, especially the loss of her husband, Bruce, in 2006 and the devastating loss of her eldest daughter, Sharon, in 2012.
Betty insisted on a full and active life. She bowled for many years, played golf, was a seamstress and a canner. She was a Girl Scout troop leader and election judge.
Betty played bridge for decades and enjoyed lunches with friends. She greatly enjoyed birdwatching, but hated the squirrel that ate her bird’s seed. She mowed her own lawn and went to the gym at age 90. Betty only stopped shoveling snow because her grandchildren introduced her to shoveling snow at Christmas. She lived independently in her home until last week.
She loved traveling with her children and grandchildren, taking a family cruise on the Rhine River; several rural weeks in Forest Service cabins; A pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland; A train trip across Canada; A visit to Churchill, Manitoba to see polar bears; A tour of Virginia City, and trips to Oaxaca, Mexico; Kauai; Grand Canyon; And Washington, DC. The entire extended family celebrated their 85th birthday together in Las Vegas, where they laughed together on the Blue Man set. On her last trip in March, she watched the Sandhill Cranes migrate in Kearny, Nebraska.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Bruce, of over 50 years. her daughter, Sharon Oleksak; and her seven siblings, Alberta, Florence, Charles “Bud,” Alice “Toots,” Harold, Glendoris, and John.
She is survived by a large, loving family: her daughters, Susan (Douglas) Cornelius of Billings and Carol (Scott) Jensen of Elsinore, Utah; grandchildren Andy (Carrie) Tyler of Camas, WA; Shannon (Jason) Chua of Laguna Hills, California; Craig Tyler (Sarah Dempsey), a cruising citizen of the world; Mel (Jason) Wenko of Dickinson, North Dakota; Casey Redmon (Scott Light) from Washington, D.C.; Mary (Eric) Emmett of Billings; Bruce Jensen of Salt Lake City, Utah; Julie Jensen (Julie Kirkman) of Elsinore, Utah and Heather Jensen of Dallas, Texas; great-grandchildren, Samantha, Jackson and Alison Tyler; Hannah, Taylor, Avery, Kaylin Chua, and Cora Rose Emmett. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and ‘greats’.
We are grateful for the life you shared with us.
A memorial Mass for Betty will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Billings.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church or the American Cancer Society.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty Ann Teigen, please visit our flower shop.
(tags for translation) Michelotti Sawyers Mortuary
