Betty May Monroe

Betty M. Monroe, age 94 of Winona and formerly of Elkader Iowa, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Omaha, Nebraska Died November 3, 2022.

Betty May was born May 28, 1928, to Frieda (Koopmann) Monroe and the late Ambrose Lawrence Monroe. Her father died January 23, 1928 from a tragic hunting accident. Betty was born on her grandparent’s farm near Castalia, Iowa, joining an older sister Gertie.

Betty graduated from high school in Marquette, Iowa, as a salutatorian of her class in 1945. She graduated in late May at the age of sixteen and began work with the phone company in July.

She attended Elkader Junior College in the daytime while working at Northwester Bell Telephone Company in the evening. Betty graduated in two years with a ‘Normal’ certificate in Education. This gave her the certification to teach in a country school (all grades, first through either). However, she chose to remain with the telephone company, affectionately known as ‘Mother Bell’.

She started as a manual switchboard operator in Elkader and moved upward withing the company retiring as a manager responsible for a staff of twelve working with computers. She received a letter of commendation for working VE (victory in Europe) day during World War II and VJ (victory in Japan) day. Her career, as a result of several promotions, took her to Minneapolis, Minnesota and to the corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. She retired in 198 after spending forty-one years with the phone company.

Betty joined a task force in 1970 located in corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Their assignment was to convert from a paperless billing system to a modern, digital system. Members of the task force represented everyone withing the five state area Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota) involved in processing an order. She and other task force members know what data was inputted and the expected outcome. Accuracy was of utmost importance; accuracy in taking the order, accuracy in installing, accuracy in billing, and accuracy in listing in the directory. This was 1970; computer filled a huge room- compared to the side of a computer today. This was a two-year assignment. But Betty spent the rest of her career in Omaha retiring in 1985.

Her love/hate relationship with computers continued for the rest of her life. After she retired, she taught courses in word processing for Wang Laboratories. Students were located in Omaha, Cedar Rapids, Kansas City, St. Louis, Des Moines, and other Midwest cities. For many years she taught fellow senior citizens how to use a personal computer. This was exciting new knowledge to learn which she enjoyed sharing.

As a teenager, Betty chose to be baptized and confirmed at Peace Evangelical and Reformed church (now Peace UCC) in Elkader, Iowa. Betty transferred her church membership to Peace E & R in Minneapolis (later it became UCC). Irene convinced her to teach with her a Sunday school class. She enjoyed teaching and working with first and second graders. Soon Betty became the church school superintendent. She transferred her membership to Countryside Community (UCC) in 1970 in Omaha where she taught Sunday school. Betty attended the bible class called Bethel Series and enrolled in Stephen Ministry. She accepted a leadership role and was trained to be a Leader of Stephen Ministers, serving many years in this capacity. Betty transferred her church membership to First Congregational (UCC) when she moved to Winona, Minnesota in 2004. She was asked to be vice-moderator of the church council. Betty accepted readily because she was eager to learn about her ‘new’ church. This led to being moderator, a position she held for many years. One of her accomplishments was helping create a timeline of church history. With her natural curiosity, she learned a great deal about the history of her church. Another task that was very fulfilling was writing a church profile. It required much research by people who know and loved the church. Kurt Hinz and Betty spend many hours doing this labor of love to find the inventory, financial, personnel, ministry, people numbers, and demographics plus additional information needed to describe our beloved church. The outcome was the calling of the Rev. Danielle Bartz, who brought a breath of fresh air into First Congo and reenergized the community of believers.

Betty enjoyed the winter months in Florida where she could meet new friends in the park and at church while taking classes in line dancing, exercise class, and playing bingo every Monday evening. She also enjoyed a trip to Israel with friends from the Winter Haven church, including Pastor Jeff and wife Judy. What a thrill it was to walk in Jesus’ footsteps!

Betty was a firm believer in keeping busy, a trait she inherited from her mother. She took oil painting lessons when she lived in Minneapolis and Omaha, starting with painting on canvas board. Oscar Sormani taught her how to paint on stretched canvas, and she also dabbled in painting with watercolors. This led to visits to many art museums. Her mother taught her to knit, crochet, tat, and sew. Betty made many of her tailored suits to wear to the office. She was the family genealogist, loved to garden and read. Jan Daron’s books on Father Tim’s Mitford series were her favorites. Betty volunteered at the Winona County Historical center and at the Winona Art Museum where she enjoyed being around the many lovely, well known, and historical paintings. She was active in her townhome associations, serving as president and/or other leadership positions.

Betty is survived by two brothers, Claison (Patricia) Henkes and Maurice (Joanne) Henkes, and her beloved nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Ambrose and Frieda Monroe; her step-father Howard Henkes, sister Gertie Monroe Kraus, brother-in-law Lawrence Kraus, brothers Howard Jr. and Dale Henkes, step-brother Verdene Henkes and step-sister Marganel Henkes.

Services to remember Betty will be 11 a.m. Saturday, November 12, 2022, at First Congregation Church, Winona, with Rev. Danielle Bartz officiating. Interment will be at Witoka Cemetery, Witoka, MN.

Visitation will be 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, November 11, at Fawcett Junker Funeral Home, Winona and one hour before the service at the church on Saturday.

Memorials can be directed to First Congregational Church, 161 West Broadway, Winona, MN or Winona County History Center, 160 Johnson Street, Winona, MN 55987.

Services entrusted to Fawcett Junker Funeral Home & Crematory, Winona, MN. Online condolences can be left at www.fawcett-junkerfuneralhome.com.