Keffer, Betty Louise Reynolds

Betty Louise Reynolds Keffer, 90, of Cedar Rapids, died peacefully Aug. 12, 2013, at Northbrook Manor Care Center in Cedar Rapids after a long illness. Memorial Services: 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, by the Rev. Willy Mafuta of Asbury Methodist Church. Visitation: 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at the funeral home. Burial: Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.

Betty was born Feb. 10, 1923, the daughter of Wilson and Ruth (Robb) Morrow. She grew up in Mount Vernon on a farm in lower Palisades, later moving to Vinton in 1939 and graduated from Vinton High class of 1940. She graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, with a Registered Nurse degree. After graduation she joined the government's Cadet Nursing Program as an Army nurse and served at Schick General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa.

She married Robert Ray Reynolds on Jan. 1, 1946, in Wichita, Kan. Her maternal grandfather, the Rev. Charles Robb performed the ceremony. They had six children and the family resided in Vinton, where she worked at Virginia Gay Hospital. On Sept. 18, 1959, Robert was killed in an automobile accident. Betty was then working at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids as a pediatric nurse where she continued to work for over 30 years until her retirement in 1985.

Betty married Marion Keffer on June 13, 1966. They were married for 45 years until his death on Nov. 20, 2011. Betty was an active volunteer for several organizations. She was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary Hanford Post Unit, where she served as president and held several other offices. She was also a member of the Women's Relief Corps. She served as department president from 1986-87 and was elected to several national offices within that organization. She enjoyed volunteering at the Veterans Hospital in Iowa City every Friday for nearly 20 years. Betty was a member of Asbury Methodist Church and UMW, was on the Asbury House board, belonged to the quilting circle and served on many committees within the church.

Betty's hobbies included reading, walking and gardening. She loved to travel and visited every state in the U.S. and Europe twice. She loved spending time with her large family, especially enjoyed family reunion picnics.

She will be remembered for her love of nursing and her service and dedication to her charitable organizations and church. She will be especially remembered for the love she had for her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her six children, Cheryl (Gary) Gray, Robert Bruce (Kay) Reynolds and Vickie Rudd, all of Cedar Rapids, Colleen Dietrich of Biloxi, Miss., Margaret (Del) Fischer of Moorhead, Minn., and Dustin (Kim) Reynolds of Vinton; 12 grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; five stepgreat-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Louis Kaiser of Van Horne; sister-in-law, Leah Cook of Independence; and many wonderful nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert Ray Reynolds; her husband, Marion P. Keffer; a brother, Wilson Robb Morrow; a sister-in-law, Alice Morrow; a sister, Joanne Kaiser; and a son-in-law, Richard Powell.

A special thank you to the staff of Northbrook Manor and Jenny of hospice for their compassionate care.

Memorials may be directed to Hospice of Mercy.

Please sign the online guest book for Betty at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

Published Aug. 15, 2013 in The Gazette