Dear Grandma and great Grandma,

We had an amazing time together when we met the final time in 2017. Just seeing you and Leia connecting straight away…

You are very loved and missed though we all are convinced you are now surrounded by loved ones from the long and rich life of yours. 

Love

Chris, Leia and Tove

To the entire Donaldson family,
Betty, you are and will always be a reminder to me to smile, to be positive and  to take life less serious. All of these wonderful ideas came from seeing pictures, videos and post from Ken. I never formally met you Betty. I just fell in awe, felt such a close connection with you and never met you in person. That alone says  how amazing you were (will always be) . You were always just living and being this way. I will take these  traits and do my best to carry them out for the rest of my life in honor of you. Thank you Betty for the family you raised. I had the gift to work with Ken and got to know you through all of his post. Ken, keep sharing the  "Momism"  they will change the world! Bless you Betty and family. You have changed my world and many others. Thank YOU!

I met Miss Betty one time, at Holly and Ken’s wedding.  She made a grand entrance and just seemed so very happy.  Here is what I believe - to have a son like Ken, who has such depth, and love and compassion had to have made her proud.  And I would like to believe that Miss Betty gave Ken not only the gift of life, she gave me a dear dear friend who is a brother I never had.  Thank you Miss Betty.  XO Melissa

My beloved grandma.

Today it's your funeral, and even if I'm not there in person, my thoughts and spirit will be with you.

 I'm so greatful for having you as my grandma. Even if we lived far away from each other you always made me feel so loved by you, and I want to thank you for that. 

You used to tell me that you were praying for me and us every morning, and I often thought about that, that in this particular moment my grandma is thinking of me, and I'm thinking of her, and in that little space of thinking of each other, we met, that's how it felt like. 

My love will always be with you ♥️



Roger, Ken and families,

Words cannot express the influence my Auntie Betty had on me growing up in the days of our youth.  Both your Father and Mother were living examples of goodness, of a strong Christian faith, and lived there lives in service to others.

I remember fondly our time together at the lake and other family functions when we all gathered and enjoyed great times with our cousins.  As the years flew by we had fewer and fewer times together but for me, you have always been in my thoughts and prayers.

I was able to reconnect with your Mother later in her journey and enjoyed catching up with her during our Christmas conversations together.  Pam enjoyed talking about her flowers and the social activities during the holiday season.

Roger, Ken, your Mother was a living example of a Christian life well lived.  I will always be grateful for her presence in my life.

Love,

Gary & Pam


I haven't got a lot of memories of my grandmother. Not the photo-like pictures that you can see when you Close your eyes. I grew up in a different country from Grandma (which was her name to me when I was small). She and Grandpa came to visit us and we went there. This was something that I cherished but I'm not really sure if the pictures I do see when I close my eyes  are mine or photos I've seen later on.

What I do remember is the feeling she invoked in me. Familiarity, hospitality, warmth and love. In every kindergarten there is always one adult that the children seek out when they need comforting. Why isn't always clear, it's like they radiate a sensation of safety and caring. That is my memory of my grandmother. That is her legacy in me which I try to give to my children.

Even if we spent a lot of time apart and lived in different countries she was present. In letters and phone calls. All my conversations with my father had a mandatory "how's Florida?" section in them.

You will be missed, terribly. But I also like to think that the feeling you created in others live on through people you've met and touched.



(Part I.)

It is the end of an era. Someone who has been there forever, is now gone. Mom is now gone. And there are, especially at this time, a large number of memories of her that come into my mind.

But it is not in the “larger” events in life that I remember her. Not the moves from Detroit to Washington to Rochester and then Syracuse. Or even the later move to Florida. Nor her many visits to Sweden and ours to Florida.

I remember her more in the little things of life.

- Mom used to send us letters and they were always so beautifully written, even to the last letter a few months back. Her letters in later years, when a little confusion could be expected, were not the least confused. The names, dates, places and people were all correct. She answered the questions that had been asked in earlier letters. And she asked relevant questions in turn. It was hard to believe that they were written by someone her age.

And, of course, in each and every letter there would be some clipping, often several. Some article that she had found that she thought we needed to read. To help us along she would underline the important sentences and write key words in the margins. I suspect that everyone receiving letters from her also got their share of these clippings.

- Then there was her “stuff”. Anyone who came in contact with her and came into her home would probably be aware of her stuff, a number of things that she collected. “I might need that someday”, was her answer when asked why she collected all those rubber bands, or jars, or bits of string, or old envelopes, or plastic take-a-way cartons.

Or collections of assorted papers from Ken and me. Report cards from second grade. An information letter about a coming canoe trip offered by Detroit Baptist Camp. Examples (many) of our school work. All these were packaged into a number of boxes.

(Part II follows below)


(Part II, continued from above)

- More recently there were the phone calls to her. There was a routine to our calls and when asked how she was doing, she would almost always reply: “Not too bad for a little old lady of 94 (or 93, or 92, or …)”. She seldom would say that she was feeling bad, or sad. Sometimes the phone calls would follow a pattern similar to the letters, but in recent years there was another pattern, and she would ask me to repeat what I had said, sometimes several times. First I would repeat using the same words, only louder and slower. If that didn’t work I would try and find another way of expressing it. Then she would say something like “they could not find my hearing aids this morning”. Otherwise she would reply to something that I had not said, but that she had heard.

There will be no more letters or clippings, no more “stuff”, and no more phone calls. And I will miss all these little things.

So, how do you sum up her life? Maybe she did that herself: “not too bad for a little old lady of 94”.



Strange to think, I didn't meet Betty until she was nearly 89. Over the last 5 years, I realized how much I missed. If I had met her son, Ken, earlier, I might have seen her passionate involvement with communities of people close to her: her grandchildren, her Cambodian and Vietnamese families, her church, the food pantry, and garage sales. I might have met George and seen their special bond.

But I got to learn about her life through asking about her memories and stories, and through the cards, visits, and letters she talked about sending and receiving with joy from everyone.

While her ability to be present with her communities had diminished, her caring about them never waned. Most consistent was her love for her sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She lit up when Ken would give her news, and especially photos and videos of them.

No matter where we went, Betty was everyone's favorite. At her ALF's holiday dinner, both staff and residents told us how much they enjoyed her. And who wouldn't? Betty's attitude was upbeat. She was happy to see other people and let them know it.

She had an authentic curiosity about others. Even during hospital stays, she greeted every nurse, doctor, therapist, and housekeeper with enthusiasm,  asking how their day was going, or how long they'd been on their shift. Betty retained her dignity by treating others with dignity. She never complained or lamented her circumstances as she aged.

Betty was a "health nut." She constantly clipped articles on diet and exercise, sharing them with Ken and me. Well into her 90s she walked regularly and was diet-conscious (though she allowed an ice cream indulgence more often). Whenever I got one of her hugs, she'd say, "Ooo, what a tiny waist you have!" Who wouldn't miss hearing that on a regular basis?

Mostly, I will miss her caring heart and soul, her positive attitude, and her motherly love.  The Donaldson family wouldn't be here without her, and those qualities live on in all of them.

Dear dear grandma!

You will always be with us in our hearts. 

We will remember your love and how you would spread that love to whoever would spend time with you. 

We will remember. Always. 

Big hug and loads of love/

Chris, Tove, Leia and Jessie

In 2005 George walked into my hair salon to get a haircut this was the beginning of a long friendship with the Donaldson Family.  He said to me one day,  I would like to bring my wife in to have her hair and nails done for our 60th wedding anniversary. I didn't have a manicurist on staff that day so I did Betty's hair and nails, when I asked her what color she would like on her nails I thought for sure she would say "Pink" oh no not Ms. Betty she said "RED". This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Ms. Betty had a stand in appointment with me every Saturday so her hair would be just right for church on Sunday. I always promised George he will never have to worry about Betty getting he hair done I will make sure she will be taken care of. I looked forward to her warm and strong HUGS and our conversations. When she was under the dryer I would show here Ken and Holly's travels on facebook, she was always wondering how I could show her that and that I knew where they were.. LOL Betty you will be missed deeply but never forgotten you are always in my heart. BIG HUGS!!! My life has been blessed knowing you and your family.   

Betty was my mother in law for 14 years. She and George came and visited us many times in Sweden. Always loving and caring. The kids loved when grandma showed her talents in stepdancing! She taught me a lot about looking on life from the bright  side.  I feel I am a lucky person who got a chance to know her. Betty has meant a lot to me!

Ken I didn't know your mom personally but through your post I followed her. As you said her smile was her best feature.  I didn't know she was sick, you always had her with you.  You were/are an amazing son taking care of her the way you did.  I think I might have met her once.  I know she will be truly missed by all.  She lived a long full life.  I know you will carry her memories with you  at all times.  

I never had the opportunity to meet your mom, Ken, but I have loved getting to see the beautiful relationship that the two of you shared through your FB posts. What an incredible woman she was and we are all blessed that you shared her with us throughout the years.

Dear Mom, thanks for being the best Mom I could have. Thank you for my life and all the lessons you taught me. I'll cherish the lessons and you forever, and I'll do my best to carry your legacy forward.

I Love you, Mom.

Ken

OBITUARY

Betty Donaldson

29 June, 1925 – 31 July, 2019

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services