Margaret Betty Crose

Betty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on August 23, 1921. She was the third of four children born to Alonzo and Mabel Brown. After high school, she attended Bob Jones College in Cleveland, Tennessee. She left college to pursue nursing and graduated from St. Joseph Training Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario as a Registered Nurse. She worked as a nurse in various places including Windsor, Ontario, Bob Jones College, and Miami. She saved up for a journey to visit her brother Lorne who was a medical missionary in Jordan and, while there, met W. Leonard Crose who was also on vacation from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. After a short engagement, they were married on December 7, 1951. Following their marriage, Betty joined Leonard in Dhahran where they lived until 1965. During their time in Arabia, their three daughters were born. In 1965, the family moved to Yakima, Washington where Leonard’s older brother Bob and family lived. They had 21 wonderful years in Yakima before Betty and Len moved to Bellingham where they could be closer to their youngest daughter and first grandchild. After Len died in 1992, Betty stayed in Bellingham for several more years before returning to Yakima for a time and then heading to Chehalis to live at Woodland Estates, an excellent retirement home. She was happy to be able to live near each one of her daughters with every move. She is survived by her younger brother Don, her three daughters, Anne, Shirley, and Ginny, seven grandchildren and two great-grandsons, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Betty was an active participant in the churches she attended in every community where she lived. She taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and helped with hostess activities–including a Bible study in her home. She also assisted with the local gospel mission, helped out at at the Firs Conference Center, and worked as a volunteer with hospice. She loved to keep busy and share her capabilities with others. Betty loved gardening and spent many happy hours outdoors tending to her garden. She also appreciated style and beauty–which showed in both her appearance and her home. She will be remembered as both a much loved relative and a much loved friend. Please share a memory of Betty in the guestbook. Memorials can be made to Chehalis Methodist Church, Samaritan’s Purse, and Reach Across.

Margaret Betty Crose

August 23, 1921 - March 19, 2015