Obituary

Betty Lou Honrud (Shilleto) passed from this life into the presence of the Lord on Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 12.03 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital as a result of an inoperable hip fracture.

Betty was born July 29, 1931 in Tonasket, WA to Howard R. and Pearl J. M. Shilleto (Moe). She grew up in Ferndale, attended First Baptist Church from cradle roll on and met and married Merlyn D. Honrud in November 1948 on Thanksgiving Day. After a short time in Seattle, they moved to Opheim, Montana to wheat farm and were there for about six years before moving back to Whatcom County. During this time, Betty had four children – Carol, Linda, Duane and David.

In addition to her primary focus on being a wife and mother, Betty worked in various family berry fields (hoeing and “berry bossing”), then several years at the National Bank of Commerce in Bellingham. She also owned and operated the Ladies’ Lair clothing store in Ferndale and helped out at the family owned Shanghai Restaurant. She enjoyed singing, cooking, baking, traveling in the motor home and most of all being with family. She was a social and friendly person with a great smile. When Merlyn died in January, 1999, Betty moved from Bellingham to Ferndale where her children helped build her apartment on Aldergrove. She also had a “winter” residence in Yuma, AZ where, after 5 years, she met and married a Ferndale classmate, Vern Nelson. They spent a wonderful seven years together traveling between Yuma, Ferndale and Sitka Alaska until Vern’s death in 2011. She continued to enjoy yearly visits to Yuma with her children until the last year of her life.

Betty was preceded in death by her husbands – Merlyn Honrud and Vern Nelson, her parents Howard and Pearl Shilleto, sister Shirley Ball, brother-in-law Bill Rouse and grandson Ralph Honrud.

She is survived by her children – Carol Biagi (Chuck) and Linda Wilkins (Steve) of Bellingham, Duane Honrud of Eagle River, Alaska, and David Honrud (Marie) of Ferndale, sisters Charlotte Rouse of Walla Walla, WA, Joanne Graves (Stan) and Claudia Unruh (Robert) of Ferndale, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters-in-law.

There will be a viewing on Monday, August 21, 2017 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and a Memorial Service on Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. with a Graveside Service at 2:00 p.m., all held at Moles Greenacres Memorial Park (5700 Northwest Drive, Ferndale). Donations may be sent to Alzheimer’s Society of Washington, 1308 Meador Ave., Suite C1, Bellingham, WA 98229.