Arthur Betts of Rochester, WA passed on May 30, 2021. He was born in Rochester on December 30, 1929 to C. A. and Hilda Betts. He was living in the same home in which he was born when he passed.
Arthur attended school in the Rochester school district and graduated from Rochester High School. He attended Centralia Junior college, then the University of Washington taking classes in Civil Engineering. He never graduated, but instead joined the Air Force and spent a couple years in El Paso, Texas as an Air Force mechanic working on the B-52 aircraft. After his Air Force service, he worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation as a civil engineer for many years, retiring in the early 1980’s.
He was always interested in flying and liked to tell stories about the small hanger on top of the hill above his home where he would keep his own small plane and use the hilltop as his runway. In his later years he would grow lots of Christmas trees on this hill. He was a farmer at heart and loved his tractors & back-hoe.
He married his wife, Irene, on September 23, 1955. And shortly after the marriage adopted Ray, Brett and Cindy. Later he would have two more sons with Irene – Artie Betts and David Betts. Irene passed away in 2003. Later Arthur married Betty Elgin, who had been his high school sweetheart. This marriage lasted until Betty’s death in July, 2019.
Art was a life-long fisherman and spent much of his leisure time on the Chehalis river fishing for sturgeon, or at Westport, WA catching salmon. His son Artie was his favorite companion during these fishing trips.
Art was a wonderful, dedicated & loving husband, father & grandfather to his 5 children, 11 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He will be buried at Grand Mound Cemetery along with his son, Artie, next to the burial plots where Irene is buried and also, his son, Brett.
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