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Betty was born
July 18, 1922, in Nampa to
Byrdie (Laura Ann) Samuel and Chris (Christopher John) Backer
and passed away Feb. 3, 2008, in Boise. The midwife who
delivered Betty was a little hard of hearing and when she
filled out Betty's birth certificate, wrongly recorded her
middle name as "Verdene." She was the youngest of four
children, earning her the lifelong nickname of "Babe."
Betty was raised in the Lone Tree Community and attended Nampa schools. She loved to play softball and
was proud of being a great pitcher. After completing high
school, she attended Lewiston State
Normal School in Lewiston and received her teaching certificate
Aug. 14, 1942, and her college diploma on May 24, 1943.
She was hired for her first teaching job, 1941-42, by her Lone
Tree neighbor Vernon Woodman, then Principal at Central in
Nampa where she taught 8th grade boys PE. Although that was an
unusual position for a woman, she quickly earned the boys
respect as a baseball player during the first week of school
by connecting with a good pitch sending the ball clear over
the fence and across the highway.
Her
second year of teaching, school year 1942-43, was at the
one-room schoolhouse in the Wilson Community in
Owyhee
County. The teachers then
would usually board with a member of the community. Betty
stayed with Clifford and Gertrude McMahan. She met Clifford's
friend and Gertrude's brother, Henry Brandau while staying
with them. They started dating, going ice skating, to movies
and playing cards with friends.
Betty
and Henry were married on May 29, 1944, in
Nampa. They moved to Melba, just north
of the Butte,
where they farmed. Their daughters, Becky and Merle were born
while they lived there. In 1946 they purchased the home place
on Reynolds Creek from his parents and moved to the Schuster
place while Henry's parents, George and Minnie, built a new
home. Two weeks after the birth of their son Richard, in 1948,
they moved into the house on the ranch where they would live
for the next 55 years.
Betty devoted
her life to her family. She was a 4-H leader, hauled kids to
ball games, 4-H meetings and the County fair. She always had a
meal ready or coffee and sweets for anyone who dropped by. She
had a passion for "doing ceramics." She and Henry loved to
play pinochle, both at home with friends and family, and at
community pinochle parties at the Wilson Schoolhouse.
Betty was a charter and lifelong member of the Wilson Sage
Hens, a ladies group founded in 1949. She was a lifelong
member of the Melba Rebekah's Lodge and helped every year at
the Melba Community Auction. She was proud of the article in
the county paper that publicly recognized her for more than 50
continuous years of serving on the
Wilson
election board. She was chosen as Citizen of the Year by the
Melba Community (and given a place of honor in the 4th of July
parade) and cherished the plaque she received.
Betty worked at the Melba schools as both a substitute teacher
and as secretary of the Melba
Grade School until she retired in
1980. She took up league bowling and got to travel a bit with
her bowling buddies. Betty loved to sew and cook and was
famous in the Valley for her rolls and her giant Valentine
sugar cookies. She hated house cleaning and yard work, much
preferring to spend her time on social activities and
shopping. But most of all, she was a great Mom and wonderful "Grammaw
Betty."
A decline in health precipitated
a move to SunBridge Healthcare in the fall of 2003. Betty
recovered and moved into SunBridge Retirement in order to stay
near Henry. She visited him faithfully every day, making the
trip on her power chair that we all called her "little red
convertible." Betty moved into assisted living at SunBridge in
the spring of 2007 and deteriorating health sent her back into
total healthcare in November.
Betty was
preceded in death by her parents, Byrdie and Chris Backer; her
brothers Bill and Harold Backer of Seldovia, Alaska; her
daughter Merle Malmberg of Marsing; a grandson Jeremy Stewart
of Casper, Wyo.
Her immediate surviving
family are her sister, Adella McMahon, Portland, OR; her
daughter and son-in-law Becky and Don Stewart of Casper,
former son-in-law Bruce Malmberg and his wife Nancy of
Marsing, son and daughter-in-law Richard and Connie Brandau of
Wilson; grandchildren: Shelly and David Petzold, Middleton,
Wis., Cindy and Jack Truitt, Oak Point, Texas, Joe and Yayoi
Malmerg, Nagoya Aichi, Japan, Barry and Anna Malmberg,
Philomath, OR, K.C. and Kristine Brandau, Meridian, Jody and
Kyle Moos, Wilson; great-grandchildren: Ashley and Shelby
Brandau, Hannah Moos, Rachel, Paul and Eli Petzold, Dylan
Malmberg, Kate and Rio Malmberg.
A
memorial service is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at
SunBridge Retirement, 2609 Sunnybrook, Nampa, with funeral
services at 3 p.m. in Alsip & Persons Funeral Chapel, 404 10th
Ave. S., Nampa; 466-3545. After the service friends and family
are invited to share memories and dinner at the Melba Senior
Center, 115 Base Line Road,
Melba, from 4-7 p.m. |
