Grow, Betty Lou

Betty Lou Grow, 84, Iowa City, died of cancer on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012, in her daughter Susan's home. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sept. 1 (Saturday of Labor Day weekend) at the Congregational United Church of Christ of Iowa City, 30 N. Clinton St., with the Rev. William Lovin officiating. Family will be present at the church from 9:30 a.m. Another service and burial will take place in Yankton, S.D., at a later date.

Memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade St., Iowa City, IA 52240 (www.iowacityhospice.org) or a charity of the giver's choice.

Betty Lou was born April 10, 1928, in Winner, S.D., to S.V. and Luva (Bromwich) Todd. She graduated from Winner High School in 1946 and earned a two-year teaching degree at Yankton College, Yankton, S.D., where she met Roger D. Grow. They married in Winner on Aug. 7, 1948. After a year in Los Angeles, they moved back to the Midwest and lived in various communities in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa.

Betty worked as a secretary in church, law and insurance offices, and even at an airport. She was an excellent detail person, good with numbers and a superb typist. At the same time, she was creative in many ways - various forms of needlework, quilling, sketching, writing - but, most of all, she was a musician. She began taking piano lessons when she was six and organ lessons in college. She taught countless piano and organ students, sang in or directed or accompanied junior, adult, and civic choirs, and accompanied vocal and instrumental students, soloists, groups and musical theatre everywhere she lived. Betty also was organist in many churches and then continued playing the piano during her years at Walden Place Senior Independent Living Community, Iowa City.

Betty loved her cats, playing cards, reading, television, crossword puzzles, travel and visiting. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere.

She is survived by four children, Kathy Grow, Yankton, S.D., Susan McConnell, Iowa City, Carol Johnk, Coralville, and Roger (Cairn) Grow, Duxbury, Vt.; six grandchildren and two great-grandsons, Kelly McConnell, Iowa City, Tim (Molly) McConnell, Will and Tucker, Polk City, the Rev. Elissa Johnk, Montpelier, Vt., Chellis Grow, Casselberry, Fla., Emerson Grow, Coralville, and Lincoln Grow, Coralville; special friends, Lea Ann Schramm (her “tall daughter”), Yankton, S.D., Keith and Marnie Grow Johnk, Coralville, Thomas W. McConnell, Norfolk, Neb., her Walden Place friends; and many nieces and nephews and their families.

She was preceded in death by her husband on Jan. 23, 2007; her parents; her sister, Kay Todd (1941-1948); her half-sister, Roberta Key; and many other treasured members of her extended family.

Online condolences may be directed to .

Published in The Gazette Aug. 22, 2012.