Betty M. Lundgren, age 79, resident of Bloomingdale, Illinois, went to be with the Lord on Friday, March 4, 2022, peacefully at home.

She was born January 26, 1943, at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park to Arden and Beatrice Olson.

Growing up in Bellwood, Illinois, she attended elementary and junior high school at Roosevelt, and then graduated from Proviso East High School in 1960. From 1959-1961, she worked as a nurse's aide part-time at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, IL.  She studied Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University for 2 years and then changed course to study nursing at Ravenswood Hospital, where she worked with kids in pediatrics.  She graduated in 1965 as an RN with a pediatrics specialty. She loved nursing, but looked forward to raising a family with the right guy.

Betty met Ken at a retreat at Camp Hickory with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Nurses Christian Fellowship in 1964. Eventually they began dating, fell in love, and got engaged while looking at the Chicago skyline and the stars as they sat on the lawn near the Adler Planetarium. They were married in 1966. They lived in Oak Park, where Betty worked as a nurse at Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children and as a nurse for a pediatrician in Elmwood Park. In 1967, Betty and Ken moved to Arlington Heights where they started their family. They moved to Bloomingdale in 1977 to be closer to Ken's new job location and to be closer to Wheaton Christian Grammar School where their children, Kevin, Karen, Joe, and Kathy attended.

Betty gave her life to Christ as a teenager.  Her hope was in Jesus.  She shared this hope with those around her, encouraging family and friends. She looked for ways to be of service to others.  She served in church as an AWANA leader, nursery volunteer, and ministered to many through Stephen Ministries. From 2000-2012, Betty served as a deaconess in her church, the Wheaton Evangelical Free Church (now Compass), where she arranged and delivered numerous bouquets of flowers for hospitalized patients and shut-ins.  She also served meals to families after funerals and often provided special floral napkins as a loving gesture of hospitality.  She was an active member of her church, attending services,  Sunday School, Adult Bible Fellowship class, and Bible studies. Friends and family have described Betty as loving, compassionate, cheerful,  thoughtful, caring, and generous.  Despite her pain, Betty continued to serve and love others as she was able and continued to give praise to the Lord, whom she so dearly loved.

Betty faithfully read her Bible and prayed for many people as well as for concerns locally and around the world.  She prayed daily for her family and raised her children to know and love the Lord.  She and Ken encouraged their children's growth in the Lord by taking them to Sunday School, AWANA clubs, church youth group, and Bible quiz team.  They also encouraged and supported their children's missions and ministry endeavors.  It gave Betty great joy to see her grandchildren growing up to love and serve Jesus as well!

Betty had a great love for music.  She played alto saxophone in her high school marching band and in the Oak Park Community Band.  She and Ken enjoyed singing with the Chicago String Band during their first year of marriage.  She loved attending orchestra and band concerts, singing hymns and especially attending church hymn sings, attending all of her children's choir and band concerts and musicals and later her grandchildren's concerts, showcases, and musicals.  She and Ken encouraged their children to develop a love for music as well.  She especially loved hearing the music of her children and grandchildren!

Betty also had a great love for children.  She welcomed children into her home and yard, hosted Easter egg hunts for neighborhood children, and gave amazing birthday parties! She donated toys and clothing to children whenever she heard of an opportunity to give, bought Christmas gifts for children through the giving opportunities provided by Angel Tree and Sharing Tree, and supported moms and babies through the ministry of Evangelical Child and Family Agency at their yearly baby shower.  She babysat for children on many occasions and ran a licensed daycare in her home for several years. Through these babysitting ministry opportunities, Betty and Ken eventually were given the lifelong ministry to care for and adopt little curly-headed Joey.

In 1987, Betty wanted to complete her elementary education degree that she had started at Northern Illinois in 1962.  We were all so proud of her when she graduated in 1989 with her B.S. in Education from National College of Education. She had such fun preparing her lessons and doing her student teaching.  She hoped to eventually teach in the elementary grades, but due to her arthritis pain, she only did student teaching, but was so happy to see her daughters become elementary teachers!

Some of the several short term jobs Betty enjoyed were serving children as a school nurse at Wheaton Christian Grammar School, working with the cute animals and children who visited the seasonal Green Meadows Petting Farm held at a park in Elmhurst in the fall, welcoming children onto the holiday train at Yorktown Mall in Lombard, and cheerfully packing bags at Eagle grocery store in Carol Stream.  She also worked with the children at Marklund Children's Home in Bloomingdale for a short period of time.

Growing up, Betty went on many trips with her parents and her older brother, Larry.  She carried that love for adventure into her marriage and family life.  She and Ken went camping on their honeymoon and then many more times with the kids throughout the years.  What fun it was for her to camp with her grandkids a couple of times, too! She also enjoyed going on trips to Wisconsin Dells, Door County, Lake Geneva, and Shipshewana.  Betty liked lighthouses.  She was thrilled to be able to take trips with Ken to visit lighthouses in various states and even stayed overnight in three different lighthouses.  She enjoyed her trips with Ken to visit their kids at college.  They also enjoyed their trips to Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, and New York to visit Karen while she was traveling the country with the African Children's Choir.  Since she was young, Betty loved all things oriental, so she was thrilled to be able to join Ken on a business trip to Korea and Japan in 1984.  Closer to home, Betty loved going to the arboretum and especially loved seeing the Gingko tree leaves!  She enjoyed trips to the zoo, where she especially enjoyed seeing the giraffes.  She enjoyed spending time with her family on the deck, picnics at the park, and cookouts at Pratts Wayne Woods.  She also enjoyed going to the apple orchard and various pumpkin farms.

Betty enjoyed bringing joy to others through her many years of entries in the DuPage County Fair.  She enjoyed arranging flowers into cute and beautiful displays, making beautiful place settings, and especially gathering items for various collections.  She often thought of the smiles her entries would bring to people as they viewed her vintage toys, her old colorful buttons, or her ceramic animals.  She enjoyed going to antique stores to find old post cards and books to enter in the fair.  Betty also enjoyed doing word finds, puzzles, playing games - especially UpWords, and reading.

Betty's Aunt Helen brought the love and interest of her Norwegian heritage into her life.  She enjoyed attending the Norwegian Syttende Mai parade in Park Ridge every May and hearing about the relatives in Norway.  She had the joy of visiting Norway with Ken and Karen in 2006, when she got to visit the birthplace home of her Grandma Marie in Svoldal and spend time with some dear relatives in the area. Aunt Helen introduced Betty and Ken to Scandinavian events in the area which they have enjoyed attending for over 30 years.

Betty loved her family and showered her love on immediate family and extended family through notes, cards, gifts, and phone calls.  Anyone who knew Betty knew she loved her grandchildren and was enthusiastically proud of them.  She attended many of their concerts, programs, soccer games, piano recitals, musicals, and birthday parties.  She enjoyed spending time with them at the zoo and  going to parades.  She was proud of the science and art presentation given by Kyle, Kate, and Kristen, her 3 home-schooled grandchildren at the time.  She loved attending Grandparents Day at Wheaton Academy for Luke, Lindsay, and Kyle.  She meticulously planned fun activities and prizes for each holiday gathering including Easter egg hunts and Halloween parties.  She enjoyed family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas, some of which she was able to host in earlier years.  She loved to generously give her grandkids gifts for birthdays and Christmas.  The kids always looked forward to the fun baskets she would fill for them each Easter.  Most of all, she prayed for them by name and wanted them to love Jesus.  She encouraged her grandchildren to share with others by inviting them to join her in packing shoeboxes filled with toys and gifts for children in need around the world through Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.

Betty was a wonderful wife, mom, grandma, and aunt, and her family loved her immensely.  She made sure that we knew we were loved and reminded us of that often. She was also a gracious daughter and niece as she did so much to help her mom and her aunt in their later years.  Betty often spoke highly of the rare gift of her wonderful husband. She was so incredibly grateful for his gracious, humble, and loving service to her as he helped her in so many ways in the last few years.

She is survived by her loving husband, Kenneth of 55 years; her children Kevin Lundgren, Karen Lundgren, and Kathy (Jeff) Holwerda, her grandchildren, Luke, Lindsay, Kyle, Kate, Kristen, Keele-Shae, Drayven, Rylee Kehoe, and Noah.  She is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.  She is preceded in death by her son, Joseph Lundgren. She will be deeply missed by family, friends and all who knew her.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, March 12, 11am at Compass Church, 520 E. Roosevelt Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187. Friends may visit with the family from 9am until the time of the service at 11am. Pastor Cal Elifson will officiate. The service will be livestreamed and recorded. Please click this link to view the service: Betty Lundgren's Celebration of Life Service . Interment will follow at Wheaton Cemetery. Friends and family are invited back to the church for a luncheon.

Memorial gifts may be directed to:

• Wheaton Christian Grammar School , 1N350 Taylor Drive, Winfield, IL 60190

• Wheaton Academy , 900 N Prince Crossing Rd, West Chicago, IL 60185

• Operation Christmas Child , PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607

• The Compass Church , 520 E. Roosevelt, Wheaton, IL 60187