Elizabeth “Betty” Church 07/23/2020

Betty (Elizabeth) Ellen Quick Church

After 93 years with us, Betty Ellen (Quick) Church passed away peacefully at her home in River Falls on July 23, 2020. Betty was born in Moline, IL on June 15, 1927 to Viola (née Ollar) and Clifford “Tish” Quick. Her brothers, Robert and Clifford, and one sister, Beverly completed the family, all of whom have passed.

Betty was an artist, a writer, a lay minister, and a loving and beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and very recently a great great grandmother. She met Bill G. Church, while she was in nursing school and he was in medical school at the University of Iowa, and they married in 1946. Sixteen moves and 5 children later they settled in Sioux Falls, SD, where they remained for the next 58 years, having 3 more children there. In addition to her busy life raising 8 children, Betty was active in Sioux Falls life. She served in many roles at First Congregational Church, leading a popular Bible study group for around 40 years. She worked for many Sioux Falls charities and arts organizations. In her forties she returned to school and graduated from Augustana College in 1968 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and philosophy, finding work as a campaign manager and speech writer on local political campaigns before she found her calling as a lay minister for the Congregational Church. A few years after the death of her husband in 2012 she relocated to River Falls, where two of her daughters lives, joining the First Congregational Church of River Falls, a local PEO chapter, and returning to yoga at the ripe old age of 89. Over her last few years she wrote a memoir of her long life, “Mom Even Said” (available in hard cover and paperback). After a decline in her health, she spent the last year of her life under the tender care of  Christian Community Homes in Hudson, until she came home to River Falls just before her death.

Betty is survived by her eight children, Terrance Oneil Church (Kasthuri), Sara Elizabeth Church, Timothy Robert Church (Ann Fredrickson), John Thomas Church (Ann Pineles), Gina Church Skule (Marshall), Rebecca Ellen Church (Farshad Esnaashari), William Todd Church, (Annie), and Laura Jean Church; her grandchildren, Ian Skule (Jackie), Ellie Beaver (Matt), Aaron Church, Libby Church (Iain), Bijan Esnaashari, Sheyda Esnaashari, Zola Pineles, Meerashini Church (Steven), Morris Pineles, John Church (Abby), and David Church; her great grandchildren Montana, Ewan, Peri, Arynn Sky, Lily Rain, Julia, Penny, Eliza, Gabriel, Sawyer, and Elliot, (with Monika on the way); her great great grandchild Khalani; and many, many friends, nieces, and nephews and their families. Everywhere Betty went, she touched lives. She will be sorely missed but her light lives on in all of those she touched.

 A private family memorial service was held Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 1:00 pm at First Congregational Church in River Falls.  Arrangements are  with Bakken-Young Funeral & Cremation Services.

Click here to watch Betty’s memorial