Betty Marie Stauffer

Visitation will be at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64131 on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 10:00am followed by a brief service at 10:45am.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Rheumatoid Arthritis at www.arthritis.org/; 1900 West 75th Street, Suite 200, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208; (913) 262-2233.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.mtmoriah.net

Betty was born to Hayden and Madge (Stephens) Thomas on August 3, 1928 in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. She attended West Pittston High School. She had four siblings who preceded her in death Hayden (Sonny) Thomas, Jean Dymond, Edith Lipfert, and Richard Thomas. She met the love of her life, Charles, “Charlie”, Donald Stauffer, in 1959 and married him later that same year on November 14, 1959 in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. After a honeymoon in Florida, they moved into an apartment in a Boston, Massachusetts suburb until May, 1960. Shortly afterward, Charlie went to work for Ingersoll-Rand Company which took them to Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, near Easton, PA. Together they built a home several months later, where they moved in and settled down. In 1961 they were blessed with a daughter, Judith Ann, and two years later with their second daughter Patricia Ann. In 1964 the family headed west to the Kansas City area where Charlie worked for Fairbanks Morse as Chief Engineer.

Betty was actively engaged in raising Judy and supporting her interest in figure skating. She and Charlie enjoyed the many skating shows that Judy participated in as a teenager. Betty’s family was very important to her and she was also a doting Grandma and Aunt. She savored the time she spent with grandson Alex, and granddaughter Meghan and relished in all of their accomplishments. Every grade card with A’s and B’s was recognized and rewarded by Grandma and she and Charlie enjoyed attending the kids sporting events, band concerts and other activities. Grandma always made the best ravioli and had a great cookie stash always waiting.

Betty enjoyed niece Laurie Hetro and family moving to the Kansas City area in 2001 and appreciated the on-going love and support she received. Betty also loved Judy’s pet Shelties and looked forward to the daily call from Sadie and Tillie at 9pm. She was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed the Royals, Chiefs, and KU and NBA Basketball games.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, husband Charlie, daughter, Patricia Ann who had Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, her siblings listed above, niece Barbara Dymond Wivell and nephew Kenneth Lipfert. She is survived by daughter Judy Schmidt and her husband Tom, grandchildren, Alex and Meghan Schmidt, grand-dogs, Sadie and Tillie, niece, Laurie Hetro and her husband David, Laurie’s sons Stephen Hetro and David Hetro and wife Amanda, niece Donna Paznonski and her children Jeffrey Paznonski and Jennifer Mikhalkov and husband Russ, niece Karen Pembridge and her son Jay Pembridge and wife Lindsay, niece Beth Buchholz and her daughter Courtney, niece Sandy Hartman and nephews Kevin Thomas, Gary Thomas and Mark Thomas.