Betty Mae Even, 77, of Britton, SD passed away November 5, 2023 at Spruce Court Assisted Living in Britton.
Betty was born in Fairmont, MN on February 13th, 1943 to Ray and Hazel (Brydahl) Nelson. Sometime before her first birthday, her parents moved the family to Breckenridge, MN where they lived until the summer of her 5th grade year when they moved to Crocker, SD. They lived in Crocker for a year and then moved to Estelline, SD in 1958. She married Larry Even on October 12th, 1963 in Estelline. After they were married, Larry & Betty moved from Castlewood, SD to Conde, SD to Castlewood, SD again, to Dempster, SD to Wheaton, MN and then to Forman, ND where they settled in 1970 and raised their family. In 1990, they moved to Britton and then to the farm in Kidder, SD in 1992. After selling the farm, Betty moved to Spruce Court Assisted Living in Britton in October 2023.
Betty worked various jobs as a bookkeeper, librarian, newspaper reporter, and as a customer service agent for the Wells Fargo Mortgage Department and was a daycare provider. She was an avid reader & gardener. She painted and stained several walls and woodwork over the years. She enjoyed spending time with her family & friends attending family reunions, tractor pulls, and The Dakota Fun Club activities. Betty was a 4H leader and a member of the Lions Club in Forman. She always found time for faith as she was a catechism teacher and active in various groups within the Catholic Churches in both St. Mary’s of Forman and St. John de Britto of Britton.
Betty was a lover of the holidays, having all of her children & grandchildren under the same roof. Larry was a constant supporter of Betty’s, defending her when the family teased her relentlessly over her hard potatoes & soupy cheesecake. She adored her various pets throughout her life with Larry, affectionately calling them her “fur children.” Betty especially enjoyed bottle feeding the lambs.
Betty is survived by her husband Larry of Forman, ND; three children, Gerry Even, ND; Lisa (Chuck) Planteen, ND; Paul (Tami) Even, ND; four grandchildren, Charley (Ieman), UT, Zach, ND, Sidney, MN, and Grace, ND; her siblings, Dorothy (Pat) Fiegen, SD & Bobby (Donna) Nelson, TX.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, sister Jinelle Craig, two brothers, Darrel Nelson & Doug Nelson, two sons, Richie & Lawrence and two daughters, Jolene and Nikki.
Visitation was held Thursday, November 9, 2023 starting at 5:00 p.m. followed by Rosary at 6:15 p.m. and prayer service at 6:30 p.m. at St. John de Britto Catholic Church in Britton, SD. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, November 10, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John de Britto Catholic Church. Betty’s service was live streamed on the Dahlstrom Funeral Home website www.dahlstromfuneralhome.
com on her obituary page. Burial took place at 2:30 on Friday at Hillcrest Cemetery, Estelline, SD.
