Betty Ann Weber Westman Wicklund

8/20/1935 - 10/5/2024

With great sadness we say goodbye to our Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother Betty Wicklund. She passed away peacefully of “old age” on 10/5/2024. When it was time, she was given morphine. An iPad placed next to her ear played soft rock music. Son David had one hand on her forehead and other holding her hand. Before passing she was able to hear goodbyes on speakerphone from son Randall, and nieces Janet and Karla. Randall was able to see her the day before, and he came back the day of and saw her before Funeral home collected her earthly body.

Betty was born August 20, 1935, on her parents’ farm in Ft Collins Colorado. Her parents were Russian immigrants, and she was the youngest of 6 kids. At age 6 she got Rheumatic Fever and was kept out of 1st and 2nd grade during which time her father took her farming on the tractor in fields of sugar beets, corn, and alfalfa. He also taught her to ride horses, milk cows and feed chickens. Inside the house her mother taught her to cook, sew, clean, and play the piano.

While attending University of Colorado one night Betty and her girlfriends noticed a student sleeping on the snow outside. They asked who was that crazy person. That was Ray Westman who married Betty in 1955.

Ray and Betty moved to Pomona California and had 3 kids. In 1967 they moved to Clear Lake City where Ray worked on the Apollo program. As Christmas approached in 1968, they noticed there were no Christmas tree lots so Ray, Betty and one of Ray’s fellow engineers opened their own. Their first customers were the Apollo 8 astronauts who needed to celebrate early as they would be circling the moon on Christmas.

Betty divorced Ray in 1970 and married Pastor Bill Wicklund. They moved to Austin in 1974. Betty’s career was in Insurance, first as a marketing rep, then after passing all exams opened her own Independent Insurance Agency in 1980. She loved owning her own business, but in 1987 sold to begin working at the State Department of Insurance where she worked 10 years until retiring at age 62.

After retiring she travelled the country by Amtrak train with her husband Bill visiting relatives along the way. She worked part time in a flower shop and volunteered at the Heart Hospital. Betty was a very proud Church Organist all her adult life. She played many years at Salem Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Nursing Home.

After Bill passed away, Betty met Darrell Hicks at her 50th High School reunion and the pair were inseparable for 10 years.

In her adult years she began collecting dolls. At one time her inventory was over 250 dolls, buggies, and doll furniture which she would display and sell in her booth at Doll and Sami shows. She was also a clock freak and whoever was around twice a year when time changed got volunteered to fall back or spring forward.

Later, when mobility became an issue, she liked to ride her electric scooter on trails and in malls and stores.

Family was everything to Betty. A handwritten note found in her files reads “when my children remember their childhood, I want only for them to remember that their mother gave it her all.” When life knocked her down “I want them to remember me as the woman and mother who always got back up.”

Betty leaves behind her sons David Westman & Dr Randall Westman, her son-in-law Randall Robertson, her grandchildren Douglas Morrill, Dr Andrea Couch, Bill Westman, and great grandchildren Camille Couch, Lane Couch, and Ford Couch and many nieces and nephews.

In her next life she will be joined by her parents David & Amelia Weber, her 2 husbands Ray Westman and Bill Wicklund, her daughter Sandra Robertson, her brothers Harvey Weber, Dick Weber & Bob Weber and sisters Margie Blehm and Gerry Jungmeyer.

Service will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church on November 23rd at 11:00am. 500 Immanuel Rd, Pflugerville, TX 78660.