Elizabeth "Betty" Shepherd

Elizabeth "Betty" Shepherd (nee Potter), age 94, passed away on May 13, 2017 at the Garden Valley Retirement Village in Garden City, KS. She was born on July 31, 1922, the child of John Carl and Blanche Potter where she was the second eldest of six children.
On March 8, 1947 she married Bill Shepherd and their marriage lasted nearly 63 years until his death in 2010. Betty grew up in Hanover, Illinois and graduated from Hanover High School in 1940. She was employed at the Savanna Army Depot until her retirement in 1970.
Betty and Bill enjoyed their retirement together of almost 40 years, dividing their time between a residence in Aripeka, Florida and Hanover, Illinois. In her leisure time she enjoyed baking, sewing, crocheting, playing cards and bingo. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and caretaker until her stroke drastically changed their lives in March 2009.
She was a member of the Methodist Community Church and a 50 year member of the Hanover Ladies Auxiliary.
Betty is survived by her daughter Jamie Seitz of Pine Springs, MN, son Bill, his wife Rita of Garden City, KS, four grandchildren (Max and Abbey Seitz, Sarah and Audrey Shepherd), sister Maxine "Mickey" Vanderheyden, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bill, sisters Geneva Morrison, Marcella "Tot" Kammer, Jean Geiger and brother Carl Jr. "Ed" Potter.
Visitation will be held at the Law Jones Funeral Home on May 25 at 10:00 am with service to immediately follow at 11:00 am. Internment will take place after the service at the Hanover Evergreen Cemetery with a luncheon afterwards at the Hanover VFW.
Betty was a hard worker, as anyone who knew her would tell you. She kept a diary since her teenage years and settled many an argument by researching them as her source of information. You could say she was the original "Google machine".
She loved to dance and enjoyed many good times in her youth at the Royal Palace in Galena, II. Her Dad would provide the transportation for her and her sisters to the dance hall and she often talked of the many big band names she had seen there. If there was music playing, chances were good that Betty's feet were moving.
She went completely deaf in her left ear from an unknown cause in her mid-forties and gradually suffered from hearing loss in the other ear as she aged. Fortunately she received a cochlear implant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN which restored the hearing in one ear, but not until the fall of 2008.
Betty and Bill enjoyed almost 40 years of retirement together and became annual snowbirds in a sleepy little town on the west coast of Florida called Aripeka. There they enjoyed weekly bingo games and junkets to the flea markets. Occasionally, they would go shrimping with a friend and she could catch as many (or more) as the best of them.
As Bill's health and vision started to decline, she took over most of the driving responsibilities. They were constantly on the road for medical appointments, visiting friends, or just enjoying a meal in a nearby town. Even into her 80's, she enthusiastically made the trip to Florida in the fall, drive 6 hours to Minnesota to see her daughter Jamie's family, or drive 900 miles to Kansas (sometimes in one day!) to see her son Bill's family. She was a real trooper.
Sadly, Betty suffered a stroke in March, 2009 which diminished both her fortitude and stamina. As a result of the stroke, she also sustained aphasia and was unable to communicate with others. She still could comprehend what was being said to her, but her ability to formulate words was severely limited and was a major frustration for her. She never lost her ability to express her emotions however, as "no, no, no" and pointing her finger at you always got her message across. She was just as quick to nod her head and smile at you (with both her lips and her eyes) when you knew you were in her good graces.
Shortly after her husband's death, Betty moved to the Garden Valley Retirement Village in Garden City, Kansas which is located only four blocks from her son Bill and his family. She was fortunate to be close to them and was able to attend family get-togethers for birthdays, holidays, etc. Her granddaughters Sarah and Audrey got to spend a lot of time with her to share stories about their lives and learn about her life looking through old photo albums. She was a good listener and loved getting her nails done by Rita, her daughter in law. She always loved to go for walks and still enjoyed them, particularly with her daughter Jamie when she would come to visit. She was good as gold, never complained of her situation and had a comfortable life. She was truly loved by everyone who met her.
Although it was a different life than she had been accustomed to, she still had more good days than bad and never lost the twinkle in those bright blue eyes! We are forever grateful that she was our Mom and Gramma and that we were able to spend so much time with her here on earth. We will miss her always, but are happy knowing that she is now with God, long lost friends and family and is now dancing with the angels.