Carr, Sister Betty RSM

Sister Betty Carr RSM, 88, died Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids after a long illness. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel in Cedar Rapids by the Rev. David Ambrosy. Burial will follow the funeral service at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. Friends may call 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids with a wake service at 7 p.m. Arrangements are with Stewart Baxter Funeral and Memorial Services.

Sister Betty Carr was born in Farley, Iowa, on Nov. 11, 1923. She was the second youngest of nine children to Joseph and Callista (Moran) Carr. She attended St. Joseph School in Farley until the age of 12 when her family moved to Cascade, Iowa, in 1935. Sister Betty graduated from St. Martin School in Cascade in 1941 and after graduation went to Chicago for two weeks vacation, but remained there for three years. She worked at Stouffer's Restaurant until World War II broke out and then got a job at International Harvester as an overhead crane operator helping to put tractors together for war use. After three years, Sister Betty returned to Dubuque, Iowa, then entered the Sisters of Mercy Cedar Rapids Community in 1946.

Sister Betty taught first grade for 47 years in various schools in Kalispell, Mont.; Edina, Minn.; and in Iowa at St. John's and Sacred Heart in Waterloo; St. Nicholas in Evansdale; St. Joseph's in DeWitt; Sacred Heart in Oelwein; St. Joseph's in Marion; and St. Patrick's in Anamosa. She returned to Kalispell, Mont., for the last 15 years of her ministry where she served at St. Matthew's School for two years and the remaining 13 years for St. Matthew's Parish visiting the homebound. In 2005, Sister Betty retired to Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids.

Sister Betty was an avid baseball fan, especially her beloved Chicago White Sox. She was also an avid football fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Bears.

Sister Betty was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Bert, Howard, Milton, Roy, Jack and Pat; sisters, Pat and Marge Jacobs; three nephews; one niece; and er dog, Mattie.

In addition to the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Betty is survived by a sister, Dolly Basetich of Downers Grove, Ill.; and many wonderful nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Sisters of Mercy at 1125 Prairie Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.

Published in The Gazette Aug. 14, 2012.