Betty Hilfer

Betty Hilfer passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 13, 2022 at Prospera Community in Mandan.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday, January 24, 2022, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mandan, with Fr. Joshua Waltz as celebrant. Burial will follow at Mandan Union Cemetery.  Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 23, 2022 from 5:00-6:30 PM with a Catholic Daughters Rosary at 6:30 PM followed by a Parish Vigil beginning at 7:00 PM at Weigel Funeral Home in Mandan. 

Betty (Heinert) Hilfer was born on September 7, 1930 in Odense, ND to Jacob and Margarita (Judt) Heinert. She grew up in Odense where she attended Country School to eighth grade until she moved to Mandan with her parents in 1946. 

Betty met the love of her life in George Hilfer and they were married on May 24, 1949 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mandan. They lived in Odense until 1953 when they moved back to Mandan. Betty worked at several cafes before she went on to work at Ben Franklin’s general store for 20 years, retiring in 1985. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters, Mandan Eagles Auxiliary, and the Mandan Golden Age Club. She spent her retired time volunteering at the Mandan Golden Age Club utilizing her passion for crafting by recycling cards.

Betty is survived by her daughters, Joyce (Dr. Stanley) Gallagher of Wheaton, MN and Karen Hilfer of Mandan; two grandchildren, Kristin Gallagher of Concord, NC and Brad Gallagher of Wheaton, MN; and three great-grandchildren, Jesse, Georgia, and Gracie Jo Gallagher.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Margarita Heinert; husband, George Hilfer; brothers, Albert, Joe, Jack, and Matt Hilfer; sisters, Matilda Wetsch, Magdelen Schmidt, Rose Corbert, and Antonia Schnur; and four sisters-in-law, June Heinert of Mandan, Kathleen Heinert of Billings, MT, Noreen Hilfer of International Falls, MN, and Elizabeth Gangl of Mandan.