Obituary of Elizabeth A. Blankenship

Blankenship, Elizabeth A. "Betty" Of Whitewater, entered into eternal life on December 27, 2014 at the age of 83. Preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Winson ("Dutch"); and parents Celsus and Esther Booth. Loving mother of Richard (Nancy) of Waukesha, Sarah Maher (Charles) of Naperville, Illinois, and Susan Kremer (Christopher) of Harvard, Illinois. Loving step-mother of Joyce Watson, Blue Springs, Missouri; grandmother of Kathryn, Nicole (Joshua), Matthew, Lauren, Michael and Noelle; and sister of Austin Booth of Fort Collins, Colorado. Betty will be fondly remembered by her step-granddaughters: Heather (Justin), Holly (Kevin), Kellie and their children. Betty was born on May 20, 1931 in Marshall, Missouri. She graduated from Missouri Valley College in Marshall in 1952, and received a masters degree in Library Science from the University of Denver in 1953. She and Dutch were married in Marshall on November 20, 1954. She worked as a librarian in Kansas City, Missouri; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Peoria, Illinois. She then lived in Wichita Falls, Texas before moving to Whitewater in 1964, where she was employed by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater library for 25 years until her retirement in 1989. Betty and Dutch moved to Gulf Shores, Alabama for several years before returning to Whitewater in 2003. Betty was a member of the St. Luke�s Episcopal Church in Whitewater, and served as State President of the American Association of University Women. After her retirement, she rediscovered the artistic talent she possessed in her early years, and created many treasured paintings over the years. She enjoyed traveling a great deal. Her favorite destinations were Mexico, England, Ireland and Italy. Visitation will be held at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb Street, Whitewater, WI on Friday, January 2, 2015 from 1 until 2:30 p.m., followed by a memorial service. Memorial donations in the name of Betty Blankenship can be made to St. Luke�s Episcopal Church-Whitewater or the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.