Edith Geraldine Smith Betting, 11-22-35 to 5-28-24
Edith Smith, or “Edie,” as she was called by her friends, was born Nov. 22, 1935, in Forman ND. With the exception of a few years spent in Oregon, Colorado, and China, she called North Dakota home all her life.
The seventh of eight children, Edie was an active child. Curious and talkative, she enjoyed taking care of her younger brother, Pat. While her chattiness was a help to her mother to keep Pat distracted, in later years her grandchildren teased her this is why she received C’s in conduct at school. “Oh phooey,” she would say in response, “who wants a glass of wine?”
Edie graduated high school in Forman and went to work for an insurance company in Minneapolis. The company sent her to New Jersey to do a summer of training, and Edie went with stars in her eyes, dreaming of weekends free in New York City. See the sights! Walk Chinatown! Eat great food! Her mother and sister had other plans for young Edie, though, and she spent most weekends babysitting in Connecticut for said sister.
In 1956, Edie made a fortuitous phone call to her longtime friend Geraldine Betting, and reached Geraldine’s brother, Richard. When he heard who Edie meant to reach, he simply said, “won’t I do?” They went to the movies together that night.
Edie married Richard Betting in 1957 in Forman. They went on to have five children and live in various college towns as Richard finished his doctorate in English. Edie worked at many different jobs, from House of Fabrics, to Sears, to a real estate appraising company she and Richard started. She enjoyed the challenge of getting the financial information just right, and dearly loved seeing the inside of many of the homes in Barnes County.
As her three often-dressed-in-matching-outfits daughters fondly remember, Edie loved to sew. She never met an expensive robe, pullover, or reusable grocery bag that didn’t need a zipper added, and she would “throw one in there for you in just a quick second.” She was a great cook and made whichever house her family lived in a home.
Edie loved to read and was a huge supporter of the Barnes County Library, going weekly and reading everything that “looked interesting.” She was kind, funny, genuine, and tenacious–not afraid to stand up for people or a cause she believed in, or simply circumvent the rules because she knew she was right. She always had time for her family and friends, and she will be dearly missed by all of them.
Edith “Edie” Betting passed away at her home on May 28, 2024, at the age of 88.
She was preceded in death by Richard, her husband of 65 years. She is survived by one sister, Judy, of Beaverton OR; children, Tom (Karen), Gary (Suzy), Lynn (Steve), Teri (Jon), and Mary (Greg); grandchildren, Lukas, Jackie, Theo, Sadie, Amanda, Hannah, Dash, Chase, Cameron and Abby; and great- grandchildren, Ellery, Emmett, Callen and Brody.
A memorial service will be at Lerud-Mathias Funeral Home Chapel, Valley City, ND August 8, 2024, at 2pm. Interment will follow at St Catherine’s Cemetery, Valley City. The service will be live streamed, then archived, on a link provided along with her obituary on her tribute page at www.lerudmathias.com. An online guestbook is available there as well.