Betty was born on June 22, 1936, to Henrietta (Johnson) and Calvin Elliott in Tuscaloosa, AL, where she grew up. Many of her favorite childhood memories were of times spent with her cousins on the old home place near Emelle. Betty attended Agnes Scott College her freshman year then transferred to the University of Alabama. There she met John Lewis; they were united in marriage on August 17, 1958.

Betty spent the next 30 years as an Air Force officer’s wife, traveling the world living throughout the U.S., and in England, Germany, and the Philippines, raising their three children, and volunteering in multiple capacities. In 1989, they moved to Minnesota where she enjoyed the next 30 years volunteering at church and the Dodge Nature Center, traveling, birding, gardening, and pouring into her grandkids and neighborhood children.

The final few years of Betty’s life were spent in the memory care unit at Trail Ridge. We are grateful for the love and care given to her by the staff there and, in her final days, at Dougherty Hospice House.

Betty is especially remembered for her kind and genteel nature, her love of books and nature, and her cooking and gardening skills. She was always the ultimate hostess, making everyone feel welcome. Her greatest desire was for her children and grandchildren to know Jesus as their personal savior.

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, John Lewis; her children, Wyatt and Rebecca (Todd) Schultz; her grandchildren, Hayley, Michelle, Jacob, Joshua, Katie, Kiefer, and Kenna; her sister, Rosa Wrenn; and her nieces, nephew, cousins, neighbors, and friends. Betty was preceded in death by one of her children, (Graye).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to Rainbow Bible Ranch at 14676 Lone Tree Rd, Sturgis, SD 57785.