Shimek, Bette Jane Rollins

CEDAR RAPIDS - Bette Jane Rollins Shimek died peacefully at the age of 88 on Sept. 19, 2010, at San Juan Villa Memory Care Facility in Port Townsend, Wash. Born May 13, 1922, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bette was the second daughter of Gayle and Bertha Rollins.

Bertha grew up living next door to her grandparents in Cedar Rapids and spoke fondly of the care and attention she received from her Grandmother, whom she affectionately called by the Czech name for grandmother, Babi. The influence of this grandmotherly warmth was passed on to her grandchildren in turn, who remember evenings spent with Grandma Shimek making blanket tents and watching Gunsmoke and coming home on weekends with college friends for Grandma's homecooking and use of the washing machine.

Bette married George Shimek on Jan. 18, 1941. A local speedskating star, George was bound for the Olympics, but war intervened, and he spent his time in Europe flying gliders and bombers instead. On the home front, Bette was raising their daughter Judy and building their first home on Ellis Boulevard, where they lived until 1964.

Bette had always been an enterprising and energetic woman. Just out of high school she applied to WMT Radio Station in Cedar Rapids. Bill Quarton hired her, and kept her on, at his right hand, for the next 60 years. In his book, Lucky Man, Mr. Quarton says of Bette: “Bette was an extraordinary person ... It is not too much to say that I would never have been as successful or efficient as I was in my career without the hard work of Bette Shimek.”

Indeed, Bette has always been a support and resource for her whole family. When her husband became golf pro at Jones and Ellis golf courses in 1960, Bette developed a retail business in the two pro shops. She loved antiques and the history that traveled with them and passed this love on to her daughter and two grandchildren.

Her greatest legacy is perhaps the joy she inspired: Bette's grace and abundance were apparent to all who met her, even briefly - in a smile that shone brightest in her eyes, and radiated the joy of a life well lived.

Bette is survived by her daughter, Judy Drechsler and son-in-law Mac Wheeler of Port Townsend, Wash.; granddaughter, Jane Jessen (Jay), and great-grandsons, Jakob and James, in Redmond, Wash.; her granddaughter-in-law, Bernadette Drechsler in San Jose, Calif.; her sister, Joy Ross, nephew, Jack Winter, and niece, Roni Ilten, of Cedar Rapids.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Shimek in 1984; her grandson, Jo Rollins Drechsler in 2006; and her sister, Doris Winter in 2010.

A graveside service will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Saturday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m., with a Celebration of Life that afternoon from 1 to 4 at the home of her nephew, Jack Winter, 3639 Random Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids.

Memorials may be sent to Camp Courageous.