Obituary: Bendixen, Betty Joan (Keating)
Age 83
She died March 9, 2015 at Hospice House North in Spokane from complications due to advanced dementia.
She was the oldest child of John and Frances Keating.
She was raised on a farm outside of Colfax with her two brothers Dick and Ray and her sister Ruby.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers.
She is survived by her sister Ruby (Dee) Friesen; her children: Ken (Cheryl) Bendixen, Cliff Bendixen, Clyde Bendixen and Kitty (Jerry) Bendixen-Park; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Viewing will be at Heritage Funeral Home, 508 N Government Way, from 10:00-2:00 pm, Friday, March 13th, with family graveside service to follow at 2:30.
A Celebration of her Life will be held at 1:00 Saturday, March 14th, at Spokane Friends Church, 1612 W. Dalke (327-7852).
Betty attended Colfax High School, but dropped out April 15th of her senior year (1950) to elope with Ken Bendixen.
Betty and Ken began raising their family in 1953 with the arrival of their first son, Ken followed soon after by Cliff and Clyde.
They decided to give one more try for a girl and finally got their wish when their daughter Kitty was born in 1957.
Betty learned to drive in her 50s as Dad’s health began to deteriorate.
They loved to give gifts and would often stop by their children’s houses to offer the latest “treasures” they had found while “yard saling.”
After Ken’s death in 1989, Betty returned to work for several years before retiring in 1992.
She joined the Corbin Senior Center where she took numerous classes and enjoyed frequent trips with the group.
Betty was always active in the Spokane Friends Church from the time her children were young.
Although dementia robbed her of most of her words by the end, she still remembered “I love you.”
Perhaps that tells all that needs to be said about her.