Betty Douglass

Betty Jane (Fanta) Douglass, age 78 years, of Des Moines, Washington, passed away on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at the St. Joseph’s Memorial Hospital in Hillsboro, Wisconsin.

She was born on January 5, 1931 to Robert and Helen (Orsburne) Fanta in the Town of Union, Vernon County, Wisconsin.  The eldest of ten children, she helped her Mother with the raising of the kids.  Upon graduating in 1948 from Hillsboro High School, she moved to Madison looking for work, finding a job at the University of Wisconsin.  She then ventured out and moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1952.  There she worked as a bookkeeper for Aetna Finance Company.  This is where she met the love of her life, William Douglass.  They married on October 3, 1953 and had their first son, David in 1954.  They soon moved to Reno, Nevada, where their second son, William Jr. was born in 1956.  With a job offer in California, they moved to the Los Angeles area in 1960, where their third son, Timothy was born.

Betty was now a homemaker with 3 young boys.  In 1967, a promotion landed the family in Seattle, Washington, where they settled in for good.  Betty was a meticulous homemaker, who always had clean clothes for her family and dinner on the table at 6:00 p.m. EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Betty had the rare ability to keep harsh criticism to herself.  She never had a bad thing to say about anyone, always remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions with a card and a note.  She was a very intelligent person, who read thousands of books and did just as many crossword puzzles.  Recently Betty was able to attend her 61^st high school reunion.  She loved and visited Wisconsin often, staying at sister, Shirley’s house while in town.  She was a great lady and will be missed by all who knew her.

Survivors include sons, David (Leigh) of Forestville, California and William Jr. (Jennifer) of Des Moines, Washington; grandchildren, James, Nicole, Linzie, Kassidy and Natalie; great-grandchildren, Maxwell, Jazmin, Jaidan, and Alyissa; brothers, Robert (Mary Ann) of Richland Center, Ernest “Dick” of Cazenovia, and Ronald (Jeanette) of Marshfield; and sisters, Shirley Husom of Hillsboro, Mary Lou (Bennie) Filter of Kenosha, Karen (Darold “Dick”) Minett of Union Center, and Linda Huebel of Wonewoc.  She was preceded in death by her Parents; husband, William in 1987; son, Timothy; and sisters, Barbara Hatfield and Cheryl Jean Fanta.

Memorial Graveside Services will be held in the spring of 2010, with a celebration of Betty’s life to follow.  The family suggests memorials in remembrance of Betty may be given to the American Cancer Society.  The Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro assisted the family with arrangements.