116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Everist, Laberta 'Betty' Ruth
Laberta “Betty” Ruth Everist, 92, formerly of Brooklyn, passed away at the Bright Kavanagh House in Des Moines on Feb. 24, 2012. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21, at Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn. Kloster Funeral Home, Brooklyn, is in charge of arrangements.
Betty was born Aug. 17, 1919, in Atlantic, Iowa, the daughter of John and Ethel (Sutton) Rapp. She graduated from Atlantic High School with the class of 1936. Betty received her teaching certificate from the Iowa State Teachers College and continued on to the University of Iowa, where she graduated in 1940, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.
In 1942, Betty married Ronald Everist and the couple made their home on a dairy farm outside of Clemons, later moving to Holiday Lake near Brooklyn, Iowa. Betty taught music in Clemons, West Marshall, and Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom High Schools. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn, where she served as choir director and organist for many years.
Following retirement, Betty and her husband resided in Rio Hondo, Texas, where she continued to work in the private and public school systems and as church organist in Harlingen, Texas, until returning to Iowa in 2007.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents John and Ethel Rapp; sister, Mina Rapp; brother, Cyril Rapp; husband, Ronald Everist; and granddaughter, Karrie Everist.
She is survived by her son, Ron (Connie) Everist of Burnsville, Minn.; two daughters, Terri (Robert) O'Halloran of Phoenix, Ariz., and Myrna (Duane) Ver Ploeg of Newton; three grandchildren, Jenna Ver Ploeg, Des Moines, Kelsi (Bryan) Vander Meiden, Pella, and Allan (Misa) Everist, Lutz, Fla.; and great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Madelyn Everist.
In addition to her family, Betty leaves a legacy of students influenced by her musical genius and passion for life.
Memorials may be directed to a music scholarship in her name at BGM Community High School.
Online condolences may be extended to the family at www.klosterfuneralhome.com.
Published March 18, 2012 in The Gazette
Daily Newsletters