Obituaries : Betty Jane (Lensch) Keiper

Betty Jane (Lensch) Keiper, 101, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at The Gardens of Cedar Rapids, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Due to Covid-19, a private family service will be held at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Atkins, IA, with Rev. Douglas Woltemath officiating. Interment will be held at St. Stephen's Lutheran Cemetery.

Memorials or cards of condolence may be mailed to Nancy Wilhelmi 7050 31st Ave, Atkins, IA 52206.

Betty was born April 10, 1919, to John and Bettie (Weis) Lensch on a farm near Atkins in Benton County. She married Raymond C. Keiper on May 24, 1941, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids. Farming and family became the center of their lives. They moved to the Weis family farm in Linn County in 1949, where they raised four children. Left to cherish her memories are her children; June (Roger) Reed, James (Wendy) Keiper, Nancy (Edward K.) Wilhelmi, Donald (Barbra) Keiper, her 11 grandchildren: Carla (Todd) Chambers, Krista (Dwight) Oehlerich, Scott (Heidi) Keiper, Julie Ruehle (Rex McCright), Lori (Jerry) Farmer, Debra (Marty) Gorkow, Kathy (Peter) Wiklund, Tami (Nate) Junge, Sara Keiper (Brian Bigelow), Ben Darling, Melissa (Brian) Moyer and 24 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Betty is celebrating in heaven with her parents, husband of 70 years Ray, son-in-law Roger, brother Charles (Doris), and half-siblings, Esther (Walter) Schlotterback, Harold and Leslie Lensch.

Through Betty's long life she continued to enjoy learning and doing new things; being a farm wife, raising 4 children, traveling many places, moving to Atkins and joining church friends to make hundreds of quilts while socializing. Her home was beautifully decorated for the holidays and her smaller garden produced prized peppers, tomatoes and more, which she enjoyed sharing. She taught her family the joy of God's creation.

One of Betty's last goals was to personally design and sew a quilt for each of her grandchildren as a gift for Christmas. Her grandchildren and great- children will also remember "Grandma's Spaghetti" and her homemade rolls that she made for family gatherings.

Her hands were always busy making potholders, "scrubbies", crocheting doilies and hundreds of snowflakes and small ornaments for Christmas, making blankets, baby afghans and much more. Every stitch was perfect; all was made with love.

Betty was proud to be the first resident of The Gardens of Cedar Rapids. She was involved in many activities and enjoyed her new friends and the wonderful staff. In her spare time, she completed countless word puzzle books, helped others and enjoyed playing Bingo! Though her main love was being with her family, the COVID-19 pandemic sadly changed the way visits happened.

Her family wishes to thank The Gardens of Cedar Rapids for the loving care she received to make her last years the best possible. She felt like she was home. The family also extends a special thank you to Unity Point Hospice during her final days and Pastor Doug Woltemath for all his spiritual care the past few years.

Betty's favorite Bible verse was, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24.

She was loved by her family and will be greatly missed.