Elizebeth "Betty" Begeman

Elizabeth (Betty) Estelle Begeman of Parker and Marion passed from this life on January 16, 2016 after 96+years. Betty was born in West Sioux Falls SD, attended the nearby Meredith two room school, the Hawthorn school and graduated from Washington High School in 1937. Betty was born October 2, 1919, the second child of Oscar Lee and Kathryn Luella (Smith) Cook. She grew up with older sister Marjorie Jane (Williams)-deceased and younger brothers Wendell Leroy of Sioux Falls, Arnold Eugene of Clarion Iowa, William Thornton -deceased, and Thomas Harvey – deceased. Growing up Betty was also blessed to be around her Grandfather Henry W. Smith, a Minnehaha County Pioneer and Civil War Veteran, and his many children who were her aunts and uncles, and cousins. After high school Betty lived with her Aunt Myrtle Smith in Parker where she worked a while before she and Sam E. Begeman were married in a union for near 70 years. They lived and farmed all their married life on the Family Farm between Parker and Marion SD. Sam died September 2010. After retirement Betty and Sam enjoyed many years ‘motor homing’ and visiting friends and children and grandchildren from the east coast to the west coast, and spending many happy winters in South Texas with fellow ‘winter Texans’ and family. Betty and Sam were wonderful parents to their seven children given to them by God, who they kept in God’s name well over 70 years, and ‘none of them is lost’. Grateful for Betty being our mother, mother in law, grandmother and great grandmother are: Samuel (June Hansen) of Kerrville TX, Joseph of Golden CO, Douglas of Westminster CA, Mary (Jim Schaefer) of Crestwood MO, Maxwell (Karen Schimkat) of Palm City FL, John (Patricia Hansen) of Rapid City SD, and Christena Orwig of Carbondale KS, and 21 grandchildren, and over 40 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at the Parker First Presbyterian Church at 1:00 pm Wednesday January 20, 2016, with a reception in the church basement after the interment in the Rosehill Cemetery. Family visitation will be at 7:30 pm at the Hofmeister-Jones Funeral Home in Parker on Tuesday January 19, 2016.