Elizabeth "Betty" Beck

Elizabeth “Betty” (Hermes) Beck of Kearney died Thursday, October 12, 2017 at her home at Brookdale Northridge in Kearney, Wally, her husband of 61 years was by her side. Funeral services will be Monday, October 16, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 3315 11th Avenue in Kearney. Rev. Duane Duley will officiate. Graveside burial services will follow Monday at 2:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery, near Arapahoe, NE. Visitation is planned Sunday October 15, 2017 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral Home in Kearney. Betty was born August 1, 1936 in Furnas County, NE to Everett and Louise (Ziebell) Hermes at their family farm in Arapahoe, NE. She graduated from Arapahoe High School in 1954 and obtained her Teaching Certificate from Concordia Teachers College in 1956. She later earned her Master’s Degree from Kearney State College in 1970. On August 10, 1956 she married Walter “Wally” C. Beck. Their early married life took them to Addison, IL, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, St. Paul, MN, and York. NE. In 1964 they moved to Grand Island, NE where Betty taught first at Trinity Lutheran School. She then moved to Engleman Elementary, followed by Westridge Middle School before retiring in 2000. In 2007 Betty and Wally moved to Hastings to be closer to her siblings. In June of 2016 they moved to Brookdale Northridge in Kearney. Betty was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Island, Faith Lutheran Church in Hastings and at the time of her passing was a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Kearney. She enjoyed traveling, knitting/crocheting, quilting, embroidery, drawing and painting. She truly loved a great card game of pinochle, bridge or pitch, going for walks, reading and shopping. She loved entertaining friends and family at their lake house at Sherman Reservoir in Loup City. The staff and residents of Brookdale enjoyed her hugs and encouragement. Betty’s life revolved around her faith and love of children. Through her life as an educator she shaped many young lives. Through her life as a Mother, she successfully and beautifully raised three children and by her faith she touched and taught young and old alike. Surviving relatives include her husband Wally of Kearney. Children, Kevin Beck of St. Petersburg, FL, Rick and Valerie (Thomas) Beck of Spruce Pine, NC and Katie (Beck) and Mike Mathews of Kearney, NE. Grandchildren, Ryan and Mitsuko Beck of Boulder, CO, Emily Beck of St. Petersburg, FL, Mitch and Libby (Szmanski) Mathews of Kearney, and MacKenzie (Mathews) and Carlos Tejada of Kearney. Betty’s surviving siblings include, Mary Lou Weber of Hastings, Alice Oelke of Hastings, Charlotte Hawthorne of Hastings, Charles and Margaret Hermes of Hastings and Doug and Cheryl Schutz of Arapahoe. She is also survived by over 40 nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, William and Ruth; brothers-in-law, Lee Weber, Victor Oelke and Bob Hawthorne. Memorials are suggested to the Orphan Grain Train, P.O. Box 1466, Norfolk, NE 68702. Please visit hlmkfuneral.com to leave a tribute, message or condolence.

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Elizabeth "Betty" Beck

August 1, 1936 - October 12, 2017