Betty J. Munson, 93
Betty J. Munson, age 93 of New Hampton, died Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at Linn Haven Rehab and Healthcare in New Hampton.
A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, August 14, 2021, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton with Pastor Kevin Frey presiding. Inurnment will be held at New Hampton City Cemetery.
Friends may greet the family from noon - 1 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home on Saturday.
Betty was born on Sept. 10, 1927, on a farm near the small north-central Iowa town of Thor, and she was welcomed into the world by her parents, William and Beulah (Grimes) Buttz.
She was the lone girl among the Buttz’s five children, and she grew up on a farm where she helped her parents on the farm while attending country school through the eighth grade. Like many in that era, Betty did not attend high school, but at the age of 46, she was proud to complete her GED in Calmar.
After she was done with her schooling, her family moved to the Calmar area, where one night she met a young man named Arthur Munson at a dance and they fell in love and eventually married.
Betty and Arthur worked a farm together for years and their family quickly grew to include Jeannie, Virginia, Arthur Jr., Diane, Sharon, Carol, and Lonnie, and her “eighth” child was her nephew, her godson Gary Buttz, who shared a birthday with his aunt and godmother.
Betty was, to put it succinctly, social. She loved to go dancing, visit new places and catch up with old and new friends. Throughout her 93 years, she was the kind of a person who no matter where she went always made a friend. Every summer she tended her huge garden and canned everything from meat to vegetables.
She and Arthur were the picture of teamwork on the farm, but they also both had incredible work ethics. While he worked road construction, she was a waitress, cook, and bartender for many years.
Betty loved to travel. She visited places like Chicago, New York City, Arizona, Oklahoma and was always up for a trip, especially after Arthur passed away in 1982. Her kids made sure they kept her busy, and she was the best grandmother to 24 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren. And yes, she was the “spoiling” kind of grandmother. When it came to her grandkids and her greats, no simply wasn’t a part of Betty’s vocabulary.
She was a heck of a cook and baker and put it this way, if you left Betty’s home hungry, that was on you. She was an amazing seamstress who didn’t need a pattern to make beautiful clothes for her kids. And maybe only God knows how many quilts she created in her lifetime, but we do know that she made one for every one of those 87 people who were lucky to call her “Grandma.”
Betty was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Hampton.
For almost 94 years, she was a joy to be around. The members of her large family and the countless number of friends she had were blessed to have had Betty in their lives. She worked hard, she was the friendliest person you’d ever meet and she was one of those people who never complained but always counted her blessings.
Betty is survived by seven children, Jeannie Cruse of Centerville, IA, Virginia Buttz of Maryville, CA, Arthur Munson Jr. of Charles City, IA, Diane Stolfus of Lawler, IA, Sharon Vander Kolk of Lawler, IA, Carol (Irving) Reese of Charles City, IA, and Lonnie (Marilyn) Munson of Yukon, OK; twenty-six grandchildren, fifty-five great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren; godson, Gary (Linda) Buttz of Fort Dodge, IA.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Arthur in 1982; two children, Alan and Beverly Munson; one grandson, David Munson; one great-grandson, Chayton Anderson; four brothers, Virgil Buttz, Meryl Buttz, Donald Buttz and one brother in infancy; two sons-in-law, Richard Stolfus Sr.; Glen Vander Kolk.
