Betty Jeane Ashcraft, 89 of Eldridge, passed away Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at Genesis Medical Center East Campus. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 AM Friday, June 21, 2013 at St John’s United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 4:00 - 7:00 PM Thursday, June 20, 2013 at the Runge Mortuary and for one hour prior to the service at the Church. Burial will take place at Fairmount Cemetery in Davenport. Memorials may be made to the Handicapped Development Center. Online condolences and tributes may be expressed at www.rungemortuary.com.
Betty was born July 26, 1923 in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of Bert and Marie (Bingaman) Haver. She was a proud cheerleader at Davenport High School and was a graduate of the Class of 1941. She also served many years on her class reunion committee. She was united in marriage to Forrest Ashcraft Jr. on November 28, 1946 in Davenport. He preceded her in death 2004.
Betty was blessed to have many career opportunities. In her early years she was a photo colorist at a photography studio, a dice girl at The Flame in downtown Davenport during WWII, “Dilly Bar diva” at a local Dairy Queen, operated Davenport’s Bel-Air drive inn theatre Concession Stand with her husband. She and Forrest also owned and operated, Valley Bus Company (a first of its kind in the state transportation company for the disabled in Scott County), and for many years was a teacher’s aide at Davenport’s Taylor School and Wood Jr. High School.
Governor Branstad appointed her to the Iowa State of Commission for the Disabled in the early 1980s. She was one of the founding members
of the H.A.N.D.S (Auxiliary for the Handicapped Development Center). She was very devoted to her late son, Gary, and because of him was involved in the Special Olympics of Scott County.
She was also an auxiliary member at Genesis West – “The Pink Ladies”, a member of St John’s United Methodist Church since the 1930s and a Doe of the Fraternal Order of the Davenport Elks Chapter. In addition, she also was a member of the Davenport Police Women’s Auxiliary, Scott County Republican Women and the Red Hat Society.
Betty was an advocate for the handicapped and devoted many years of her life bettering the lives of the handicapped in Scott County and the state of Iowa. She was sassy, feisty and flirty, not necessarily in that the order. She dearly loved her six children, thirteen grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, and had a love for dogs her entire life. She was an avid Hawkeye fan and had more Isabel Blooms than Isabel Bloom.
Special thanks to Grand Haven Retirement Community, Heartland Hospice, Genesis East Campus, MEDIC EMS Eldridge, Eldridge Fire and Police Departments, and Dr. William Jerome.
Those celebrating her life include her children; Judy (Ron) Carney, Davenport; Forrest (Nancy) Ashcraft, Sun Lakes, AZ; Debra (Brian) Huch, Davenport; Shari (Rick) Cole, Davenport; and Jeff (Crista) Ashcraft, Eldridge; grandchildren, Matthew (Jami) Denger, Rebecca Zanella, SMSJT Derek Ashcraft, Brandon Ashcraft, Shea Ashcraft, Chris (Gina) Huch, Peter (Jess) Huch, Jeff (Meghan) Tisinger, Megan Tisinger, Alexa Ashcraft, Jordan Ashcraft, and Ben Ashcraft; great grandchildren: Anthony Denger, Nicholas Zanella, Natalie Zanella, Caleb Ashcraft,
Grace Huch, Parker Huch and Callen Tisinger; and her four-legged family members: Morgan, Sydney, Bella, Max and Belle. She was preceded in death by, her husband, son Gary, granddaughter Melissa, and her brother Bill Haver.
She was no bigger than a smile and her big baby blue eyes charmed everyone she ever met.
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