My deepest condolences. Mr. Betzner taught me calculus and physics at parkside and was my favourite teacher. I regret not keeping in touch. 

Wonderful teacher.   Found humorous ways to teach us about life with physics thrown in.  Kind enough to provide me a job reference and send me on my career path.  To this day I still laugh when I think about Mr. Betzner teaching us university degrees in OAC.  This is what he wrote on the board........ 

BS - exactly what you think
MS - more of it
PhD - piled higher and deeper

Rest in Peace

It is with sadness that I learned about Grant’s passing. Although I have had many great teachers, none had more impact on my life. On his own time, he set up a one-person class to teach me Grade 13 Physics which was a prerequisite for college. Without his help, I would never have got beyond Grade 12. I will be forever grateful.

Wayne Balardo


Grant was one of my (our) Rover Scout leaders at St. Paul's Church in Dundas during the late 60's - early 70's. He also took some of us flying. Wonderful man. Sorry to learn he is gone.

Grant was a amazing teacher, more importantly he made relationships with his students.   Don't remember how many times we stole his mailbox on a weekend night to have him ask for it back on Monday class..... rest in peace you made a difference in many lives of many students 


Mr. Betzner influenced me more than any teacher during my student life, both in my profession and in my humility (to this day I pronounce "kilometre" correctly due to his friendly correction).  Grant had a passion for physics, and an ability to humanize himself and connect with students in a way that no other teacher could.  He made us collectively feel as if we were his peers, and individually feel that he was committed to our education and success.  He taught me the joy of physics and to follow what I loved to study in university and beyond.  It's due in large part to his support and enthusiasm that I became a nuclear physicist and embraced the science that he loved so much.  Thank you, Grant.

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Grant. I lived next to him for many years and we had many chats about weaving and spinning. He helped me modify a loom and fixed one of my spinning wheels. He will be greatly missed.
Sincerely,
Debbie

I'm very sorry to hear of the passing of Grant Betzner.  He was an excellent teacher; his physics class inspired me to pursue a career in the field.  
My condolences,
Richard Teuscher
University of Toronto & CERN


Mr. Betzner is the first teacher that comes to mind when I remember my time at Parkside.  He pushed me and challenged me.  I went into engineering because he told me I couldn't do it (knowing full well that I would take up the challenge).  
I recently read the following in a sympathy card: “Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories." 
Very fitting for Mr. Betzner as he made an impact on many students during his time teaching and obviously left many people with good memories.

Mr. Betzner was an amazing teacher! I am so saddened by his passing. He taught us so much, so much that my first two years of university physics were a nice walk in the park. I have so many memories from that class. He taught us how Santa Claus exists! He was brilliant and generous. He will be sadly missed and forever fondly remembered. 

So sorry to hear of Mr. Betzner's passing. He was a fondly-remembered teacher of mine at Parkside in the late 80s. I went on to do Mechanical Engineering and was thankful for the excellent foundation I received in Mr. Betzner's class. My condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. Betzner was both my physics and Independent Living teacher at Parkside. He tried his very best to teach me both the fundamentals of physics and how to cook and sew.
Although I was miserable at physics and a disaster at sewing he always encouraged me and was refreshingly blunt while I blundered on.
Although it has been thirty years since I graduated high school I have never forgotten Mr. Betzner and I am saddened to hear of his passing. He was a good man and a good teacher.
I hope knowing he has made lasting memories and helped so many students brings some measure of peace and happiness to his family.
Rest Peacefully, Mr. Betzner.


What a great teacher! What a great Man! So patient and kind. He went above and beyond to help me grasp physics. Sadly it never worked and he passed me in Grade 13 on the condition I never try to apply  physics - just let it co-exist in my life. A small group of us had an 'adult' dinner party in Grade 13 and Grant was our guest teacher. What a charming, witty and sincere addition to the table. Teachers all the time wonder if they truly make a difference in the lives of their students. He didn't have to worry about that. He is in the Hall of Fame as part of Parkside's legacy.  Rest in Peace.

Grant was one of my favourite teachers at Parkside.  He made Physics interesting and challenged us as a class.  He was a fantastic person who guided me to be the best that I could be.  The Betzners were family friends as well, and I had the pleasure of working on their farm.  My condolences to the family.

Quite simply, Mr. Betzner was probably the best teacher I ever had. He will be greatly missed.
Condolences to his family, friends and everyone who's life he touched.

Mr Betzner  tried to teach me Physics and it just wasn’t my thing. He was still patient and kind and I did manage to pass! He was a good teacher and a kind person. My condolences to his family. 

Honoured to be one of his students at Parkside. I will never forget his teaching style and he played a significant role in shaping my post secondary education to continue pursuing studies in the Physics discipline. My condolences to family and friends, he will be missed. 

Mr Betzner was my greatest inspiration and mentor as my physics teacher from 1971 to 1974 at Parkside. I am so very grateful to have him share a small piece of his life with me. Peace Mr Betzner.

I had the privilege of being one of his students. He was my Math Teacher at Parkside in 97.   Truly a great person and Teacher. I enjoyed every class he taught. 
Rest easy. My condolences to the family. 

Mr Betzner was one of two teachers who had a life-long impact on my life. I never worked so hard in any course, but he always acknowledged my efforts. One of my greatest moments was teaching with him at Parkside many years later.  An amazing man. 
My condolences to his family. 

I was a student at Parkside in the early 90s. Mr Betzner taught me both grade 12 and OAC physics. He was an outstanding teacher and he left a lasting impression me.  I know he had the same impact on countless others. As a science teacher myself now, I had the privilege of teaching in his former classroom before Parkside was torn down. I am very sorry for your loss. 

Joe and Terry,
Our sincere condolences to you and your family in the loss of your brother. 

Our thoughts are with you.


I would like to extend my condolences to the Betzner family. 
I can remember hitchhiking home from high school and Grant would stop and pick me up in his Austin as he was on his way home from McMaster. Always smiling and friendly. 
I can also remember running into him at Tim Hortons in Dundas on Sunday mornings.  He would stop for a coffee while on his way into Hamilton to play organ at a church service. 
Long time ago. 
My thoughts are with all of you at this time. 

Mr. BETZNER was by far one of my favorite teachers at Parkside. I remember his love for bits and bites and always getting him a bag so I could eat them in class. For the grade 13 physics class he would have a year end bbq at his house and would make strawberry shortcake. I was one of the lucky ones who got to go to this party! He was also a fantastic physics teacher and I never got the chance to let him know how well I did in first year physics at UofG-it was my highest mark of almost all the courses I took in university (90!) I still remember getting perfect on a quiz and it was literally because the problem that I had to solve was one that I had already done in his class! 
You were an amazing person and cared about your students, Mr. Betzner. 
My condolences to the family. 

My condolences to the Betzner family. I haven’t seen grant in many 
Years, however, we share wonderful memories at Copetown Church and growing up in Copetown, enjoyed his musical talents playing the organ at church and his warm personality.

Gail Myers

Grant was a man of many talents and an excellent teacher who always managed to make physics class entertaining. My condolences to his family.

OBITUARY

Grant Leroy Betzner

29 April, 1940 – 3 March, 2021

Marlatt Funeral Home, Swackhamer Chapel

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