The celebration of life for Betty Jane Behnke will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 26, 2023 at the Britton Event Center. Jared Holland will officiate the service and a private family spring inurnment will be at the Britton Cemetery.
Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the Britton Event Center.
Betty Jane Thompson was born December, 25, 1957 to Elmer and Ruth (Wourm) Thompson in Oakes, ND. She attended her schooling at various schools in south eastern North Dakota, and graduated from Wyndmere High School. After graduation she attended one year of college in Wahpeton, ND.
On June 10, 1978 she married her secret crush Eugene Behnke and they made their home in Britton. After many years living in town, they made the blooming move to the farm where Betty would call home for the next 36 years before becoming Eugene’s haunting angel. It certainly was her home and where she embraced the happiest moments working side by side with Eugene, as he often referred to her as his best hired hand. She tended to the mild mannered cattle, helped with tedious fencing, and no matter the task, she was willing to help. Betty was extremely patient with all animals, but her favorite was her spoiled bottle calves. She was also widely known in the township for catching pocket gophers, where she proudly bought a brand new John Deere riding lawn mower with her gopher money. She also worked outside the home as a waitress and housekeeper in Britton for several years.
Betty treasured gardening and canning, was resourceful at sewing and mending clothes, and was energetic with her children and their activities throughout their lives. She had a profound passion for her word search puzzles, and in later years enjoyed watching football. Go Vikings! Betty spent many years being an active pie cutter at the St. John’s Missouri Lutheran Harvest Days. Betty was also known as being the only one that would sneak the first piece of her favorite blueberry pie before it was placed on the table. She was enormously feisty and would often be loudly heard keeping Eugene in line, even if it meant giving him a belly slap.
She took her walk to heaven on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at Marshall County Healthcare Center, at the age of 65.
She is survived by her husband, Eugene of Britton; her children: Sarah (Mathew) Burkel of Woonsocket, SD, Kelly Jean (Michael) Doll of New Salem, ND, Christy “Crissy” (William “Willi”) Pauli or Twin Brooks, SD, and Eric (Nicole) Behnke of Aberdeen, SD; four grandsons, two granddaughters, and one on the way; and her siblings: Frances (David) Saunders, Clayton Nelson, Robert “Bob” Schiender, Ronnie Thompson and Susan (David) Furman.
Preceding her in death were her parents, a granddaughter, three brothers and one sister.
Condolences may be directed to the family in care of Eugene Behnke – 42671 109th St. – Britton, SD 57430.
An online guestbook and obituary is available at www. pricefuneralchapel.net.
