Betty Florence Shaffer Kelly

Betty was born and grew up on a farm in the hilly countryside of Western Pennsylvania, near the village of Pansy. After completing high school, she felt called by Jesus to become a Missionary, and joined a group called the Missionary Workers, and moved to Detroit in 1943. Ther outreach was to meet the needs of the poor women, children, and families and anyone else who had hit bottom in the Inner City.

As part of their outreach program, they would pass out tracts in the bars located in the old Skid Row section of Detroit that would proclaim that Jesus was the way to be delivered from that lifestyle. One of the area's wildest drunks, known as "Wild Bill", would chase the group of women from the Missionary Workers group through the streets, declaring as he pointed to Betty that someday he was going to marry that girl. Well, in 1946, "Wild Bill" accepted Jesus into his life and had a complete change in his life, as he felt compelled to reach out in ministry to those he used to drink with on Skid Row.

On July 23, 1948, Bill and Betty were married in the old storefront Detroit Rescue Mission on Michigan Ave. They formed a missionary team that continued to reach out to those on the bottom through their work in various missions. On November 18, 1958, they co-founded the New Life Resue Mission Inc. so that they could continue their outreach of trying to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the homeless. Her husband Bill died in 1993, but the work of the mission has continued as her son , Bill Jr., assumed the role as co-leader. A very conservative estimate is that during her time with the Mission, at least 1/2 million meals were served, with slightly less nights of overnight shelter being provided, along with God only knows how many items of clothing were given out to the homeless men and bags of food to the area families.

As a result of her passing, her light may have faded and dimmed a bit, but it will never completely go out. Because the bright light that came from Betty was the love of Jesus, that she so freely let shine through her, which meant that when everyone else had given up on someone, Betty was still there to offer a helping hand!

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Betty was the beloved wife of the late William Robert; dear mother of Bill Jr. (Jeanne), John (Elaine), Mary (David) Schuler, Ruth (the late Steve) Gjukich, Helen (Tom) Mason, Joyce (Jim) Pollington and Janet (Danny) Richards; loving grandmother of 21 and great grandmother of 30. She was also the dearest sister of Robert (Alice) Shaffer, Katherine (Arvel) West and Mary Barr.

Betty's family asks for memorial donations to be made to

The New Life Rescue Mission

2600 18th Street

Detroit, MI 48216

Arrangements under the direction of Harry J Will Funeral Homes, Livonia, MI.