Betty was born in Carrollton, Ohio in 1945 and graduated from Kent State University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. Thereafter, she accepted a teaching position in Urbana, Illinois and within a year went back to school at the University of Illinois where she obtained her Master's Degree in Education in 1969. In 1970, she married the love of her life, Duane Mezga.
Betty leaves behind Duane, her husband of 53 years and her much admired daughter, Marin, both of whom live in Okemos. Much of Betty's life was devoted to understanding hearing loss and how to teach profoundly deaf children as Marin was born deaf. It was a journey that was difficult, but extremely rewarding for her.
After moving to Michigan in the early 70's, Betty accepted a teaching position with Howell Public Schools. She eventually became department chairperson for Social Studies and worked at Howell until she retired in 2010. Besides education, Betty used her free time to make rugs, read, and travel. She traveled extensively in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean and spent about 9 months in Europe with 3 months used to teach English at Warsaw Agricultural University in 1979.
A funeral service for Betty will be held on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 1:00 PM, with a one-hour prior visitation from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 1730 East Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Betty's memory may be made to John Tracy Center, 2160 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 and Cleveland Clinic Research, PO Box 931517, Cleveland, OH 44193.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Mezga family.
