Betty Katherine (Crain) Athen

Betty Katherine (Crain) Athen was born on June 10, 1924 in Hamburg, Iowa; the daughter of Cecil and Elizabeth (Myers) Crain. She attended school in Hamburg. While attending school, she was an usher at the Colonial Theater. After graduating from Hamburg High School in 1941, Betty worked at Interstate Nurseries. Betty was united in marriage to Allen Athen on November 3, 1943 in Rock Port, Missouri in a double wedding ceremony with Orville and Jean (Laverty) Athen.

Betty was a lifelong resident of Hamburg. She enjoyed working on the farm with Allen, her son, Craig, and eventually her grandson, Courtney. For Betty, her family always came first. Whether it was fixing meals for the farm crew or scrubbing nephew Kerry’s football uniform so it looked new every week, Betty would do anything for her family. Betty also cherished her many friends, and enjoyed talking with them frequently throughout the day on the telephone. If you walked into Betty’s house during the day, she would have been on the phone with either Corrine, Lana, or Kate. Sometimes Betty would dial a wrong number, but in true Betty fashion, she made many new friends this way. Betty adored her grandsons and great grandchildren. Betty was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with her great grandchildren playing, eating graham crackers, and watching the trucks drive by the window.

Those left to cherish Betty’s memory are: her son, Craig Athen and daughter in law Mary Ann Athen of Omaha, Nebraska; her grandchildren, Courtney Athen and wife Jessica of Sidney, Iowa; Blake Athen and wife Sara of Omaha, Nebraska; Andrew Athen and wife Sarah Jane of Omaha, Nebraska; 6 great grandchildren: Lillie, Landon, Oliver, Lydia, Elizabeth, and Audrey Athen; nieces and nephews: Curt, Kerry, and Cathy Crain, Don Athen, and Delores Stenzel all of Hamburg, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Jack, and husband Allen who passed away in 2005.

Betty entered eternal peace on November 7, 2023 at The Ambassador in Nebraska City, at the age of 99. She will be greatly missed, and her memory will live on in those whose lives she touched.

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