Betty L Liebelt

Betty Lou Liebelt, the 9th of 12 children, was born to Christian and Lydia (Kluck) Lehmann November 24, 1924, on the Lehmann homestead about nine miles northwest of McClusky, ND. She passed away unexpectedly on August 25, 2019, in her home at Mulberry, FL.

She received her elementary education at a small, rural school north of McClusky. After eighth grade, she attended one year of high school at McClusky. Her early memories were filled with farm chores---milking cows by hand, feeding calves, stacking hay, working in the fields, threshing, tending the garden, canning vegetables, and fruits, make the meals. Because she was a tremendous help, her help was so essential to her parents that she had to stay home and not any academy or high school after her freshman year. Once in a while, she went to be the housemaid and babysitter for her married sister, Elma.

On February 3, 1943, Betty was married to Albert Liebelt at the Sheridan County Courthouse in McClusky, ND. They lived for a few months with Albert’s parents, Fred and Emelia Liebelt. Their first son, Vernon, was born that fall in a Bismarck, ND, hospital.

That same fall, during World War II, workers were needed in the shipyards in Tacoma, so Betty and Albert went west with his parents for work. Albert wanted to farm, though, and the lure of farming brought them back to McClusky. After returning from the coast, they moved several times to 3 different places---once north of town (Duane was born in Harvey, ND, when they lived there.); then east of town to the Wentz Place, and then into town (Judy was born in Harvey, ND, when they lived in McClusky). Next they moved to the Essig place east of town. (Their son Dana was born in Turtle Lake after they moved there.) There was one more move south of McClusky to the Thom place before they went to Hinsdale, IL, to work at Hinsdale Hospital. While living in Hinsdale, Albert and Betty enjoyed living near their family, including children and grandchildren. They continued to make morel life-long friends at Hinsdale.

Betty and Albert retired in June 1984 and moved to Mulberry, FL, to be near their daughter, Judy, and her family. Albert died on June 9, 2001, leaving Betty widowed.

In 1957 she was baptized and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She held offices in all of the congregations where she had membership.

Her family and friends have many mementos of her crocheting. She was her daughter’s helper when Judy needed to have help with cutting crafts for workshops. She always had a jigsaw puzzle going, and was doing word searches.

Everyone loved her cooking and baking. In her earlier years, Friday was the day to make caramel rolls, kuchen, and many loaves of bread (Her bread mysteriously never had any “ends” because she ate them before her children did!) Special occasions were marked with strudels---the batch was always tripled in order to be enough for her family! She always had a supply of cookies and was known to hide them so they wouldn’t all get eaten at once!

Her love for God, her family and friends was exemplified by her daily habits of reading her Bible, devotional books, her morning and evening prayers, thanking God for her food, and sending cards and church bulletins to shut-in’s. Her nightly bedtime conversations with God were that of one of His children thanking Him for His blessings and interceding for her family.
She was a remarkable woman with a remarkable memory that was still being used at the time her death. Her children could rely on her answers to the questions from long ago. Her mind was so sharp to the time of her death.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Albert; her parents, Christian and Lydia (Kluck) Lehmann; ten brothers and sisters, two nieces and one nephew. She is survived by her younger sister, Grace Murphy (Zephyr Hills, FL); children---Vernon (Judy), Kindred, ND; Duane (Elizabeth), Sun River, OR; Dana, Portage, IN; Judy (Kendall) Smith, Mulberry, FL; grandchildren; Shereen (Bruce) Leiseth, West Fargo, ND; Kris (Nicole Dukes, special friend), Eagle Creek, OR; Kent, Gresham, OR; Richard (Cindy), Berrien Springs, MI; Kendall Smith II, Bradenton, FL; Kimberlea (Jim) Lane, Mulberry, FL; Cale Liebelt, Portage, IN; great-grandchildren—Staff Sgt. Matthew Meyer (Shereen’s son), Fort Walton Beach, FL; Katelyn and Alyssa Meyer (Shereen’s daughters), West Fargo, ND; Payton and Delaney Liebelt (Kris’s daughters,) Eagle Creek, OR; Gaby and Lola (Kent’s daughters) Gresham, OR; Justin and Zachary (Richard’s sons) Berrien Springs, MI; Kyndal (Kimberly’s daughter), Mulberry, FL; a sister-in-law, Ida Lehmann (Ooltewah, TN); brother-in-law, Wayne Juhl (Greenbush, MN) and many nieces and nephews.

Viewing for family and friends is Tuesday evening, September 3, 2019, at the Lakeland Memorial Gardens, 2125 Bartow Rd., Lakeland, FL; Private family burial, Wednesday morning, September 4, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at the Lakeland Memorial Gardens, 2125 Bartow Rd., Lakeland, FL; Celebration of her life, Wednesday afternoon, September 4, at 2 p.m.; Lakeland First Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1435 N. Gilmore Ave, Lakeland, FL; Pastor Mark Swaisgood, officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to the Women’s Ministries of the Lakeland First Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of Betty’s favorite church groups.

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