Betty Darlene Olson

Betty Darlene Foose was born in Portland, Oregon on August 4, 1935 to James and Virginia Foose. Three years later, the family moved to Colorado where her mother’s family lived. Betty lived in a number of cities in Colorado- from Arvada to Derby, Commerce City and Thornton, back to Arvada, then to the mountains- Nederland, Central City/Blackhawk. Betty moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 1992 where she lived the rest of her days.

On June 20, 1952, Betty married Neal Edwin Olson, her high school sweetheart. They were married 37 years. They had 7 children—Jo Marie, Diane, who passed as an infant, Denise, Neal Edwin Jr., Dawn, Robert, and Samuel. Her husband, Neal passed away on September 1, 1989 from complications of a weak heart and Multiple Myeloma cancer.

Betty was a homemaker, master seamstress, and was able to cook anything she set her mind to. She worked a number of jobs: Retail sales, Daylight Donuts, Hancock Fabrics, ran a drapery business out of her house, was seamstress and did accounting and costumes for an antique photography studio. Around this time, Neal had passed away so she decided to go back to school. She obtained her GED in 1990 and went to Red Rocks Community College where she obtained an Associate’s degree in Accounting. Upon completion of her degree in 1992, she moved to Colorado Springs but chose a people-friendly position in the fabric department of Walmart on 8th Street where she worked for 13 years.

Throughout her life, Betty extended her mothering and grand mothering skills with friends of her children who passed through her home or church. She enjoyed hospitality and cooking for

others. She used her sewing skills to serve others, creating a variety of clothing, quilting, costumes, 3 granddaughter's wedding dresses and myriads of other items and crafts.

Betty grew up knowing about Christianity and attending church, but it was in the Fall of 1965 at Calvary Baptist Church in Thornton, Colorado, that Betty walked the aisle and gave her life to Jesus Christ. She followed Christ’s Biblical mandate and was baptized the following Spring. Betty was committed to serving God through the church—singing in the choir and special music, teaching Sunday school, many Bible studies, working in Vacation Bible School and Awana. She supported multiple ministries financially. She was a faithful member of and served as the treasurer of First E Free of Blackhawk and in Colorado Springs, was a long- standing member of First Evangelical Free Church serving as treasurer for Deborah ministry and participating in White Cross. She faithfully read God's Word each day and Daily prayed for her family, her church family and the needs of missionaries and others.

She was a true Prayer Warrior.

Betty was preceded in death by her daughter Diane, husband Neal Edwin Sr, her son Neal Edwin Jr., sons-in-law Paul Kroeze and Ed Larson and daughter-in-law Joan Olson. She is survived by Jo Marie Larson, Denise & Mark Murray, Dawn Kroeze, Robert Olson, Samuel Olson, daughter-in-law Lyn Olson, 24 grandchildren, many more great grandchildren and a few great- great grandchildren.

She will be greatly missed.