Betty Jean Lashelle

Betty Jean LaShelle, age 67, of Thomson, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Genesis East Nursing Center. Betty was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. A celebration of life service will be held at 6pm, Monday, November 4, 2024 at the Law Jones Funeral Home, Thomson. Visitation will be held 3 – 6pm, prior to the service at the funeral home.

Born May 2nd, 1957, in Savanna, Illinois, to Laverne and Vala (Sack) Leif, Betty graduated from Chadwick High School in 1975 and went on to earn a degree in education from Western Illinois University, where she also played clarinet in the Western band.

After college, Betty worked at Argo Rubber near Thomson, where she met her husband, Danny LaShelle. They married on June 23rd, 1984, at the Thomson United Methodist Church. Together, they raised three children: David, Adam, and Amy.

Betty was a dedicated stay-at-home mom who also substitute taught, worked seasonally at Swiss Colony, and spent a few years as a home health care helper. Her last and most fulfilling job was as a school bus aide, where she especially enjoyed working with special needs children.

Family was everything to Betty. She adored her grandchildren, Audrey and Bennett, and cherished shopping trips to thrift stores, visits to the park, and outings to the pumpkin patch with them. An avid gardener, she took great joy in planting flowers, especially tulips, at both her home and her in-law’s home for Frank and Joyce. Betty's family describes her as caring, strong-willed, and selfless.

She will be dearly missed by her husband, Danny of Thomson; two sons, David (Kayleen) LaShelle of Guttenberg, Iowa, and Adam LaShelle of Thomson, Illinois; and two grandchildren, Audrey (7) and Bennett (4). She is also survived by her sister, Carol (Dwayne) Shuman of Polo, and two brothers, James Leif and Terry Leif. Betty is preceded in death by her daughter, Amy, her parents, and three brothers, Conrad, David, and Mike, and her sister-in-law, Sandi LaShelle.