Elizabeth Anne Stuart

Elizabeth Anne Cottingham was born June 1, 1921 on the family farm in Milledgeville, Illinois. Her parents were college graduates and public school teachers. Betty had two younger brothers who always thought of her as big sister. She loved riding horses, gymnastics, and swimming. She sang alto, played the ukulele, and tap danced. The family moved to Cedar Rapids then to Sioux City, Iowa where she attended Central High School. Betty was a cheerleader, DeMolay Sweetheart, and voted Best Personality. Early on, she showed signs of strength and determination when she braved the choppy waters of Lake Okoboji and swam non-stop the twelve miles across. Betty grew up in the First Methodist Church in Sioux City. She went to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion where she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. At USD she met her future husband, Sedley. On April 19, 1942 Betty was featured on the front cover of the Chicago Tribune Magazine in an article entitled “Youth on Campus.” She majored in Art and Romance Languages (Latin, French, and Spanish) and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1943. After college, she went to work for the Minneapolis Times newspaper as a fashion artist for the Classifieds.

Betty married Lieutenant Sedley Neville Stuart, a Marine Corps aviator from Huron, South Dakota on June 1, 1945 at the First Methodist Church in Sioux City. After the wedding they resided at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. A year later son Mike was born at the Naval hospital in Quantico, Virginia. At NAS Cherry Point, North Carolina Sedley came down with polio. He was paralyzed and wracked with pain. For the next few years he was quarantined in Naval hospitals ending up at Warm Springs Foundation, Georgia. Betty was always there for him offering love and support. Eventually, Sedley was able to walk with a brace and two metal canes. They moved to Sioux City and lived with Betty’s parents while Sedley finished his Bachelor degree in Business. Son Bill was born in 1949 in Sioux City and when he was a baby they drove to Portland through a blizzard. They moved in with Sedley’s parents. The next year they purchased their first home on the GI Bill. Sedley worked for insurance companies while Betty was stay at home mom. Son Pat was born in 1953. In Betty’s words, she was “park activity director, den mother, room mother, PTA member,” you name it. Her boys spent countless

hours playing ball in their yard. Betty was also surrogate mother to their friends. She watched all her boys games and activities, tended to their hurts, helped them with their homework, and helped them celebrate holidays like making May baskets for them to give out and a May pole to dance around. She organized their parties like at Halloween and had them trick or treat for United Nations International Children’s Education Fund. She taught her boys how to draw, encouraged them to read and use the library, taught them how to make candy, and most importantly, taught them how to play nice and be respectful of all people. Son Scott was born in 1959. He was supposed to be a girl. Sed and Betty uprooted from Cherry Park to Gresham to a house with an indoor swimming pool overlooking Oxbow Park and Mt. Hood. They loved their new life in the country.

With her boys grown up, Betty dedicated herself more to her community, government agencies and the common good. She served and provided leadership on the Steering Committee for Community Action in the David Douglas School District where she represented the churches; East Multnomah County League of Women Voters; Sno-Cap Community Charities/ Church World Service CROP Walks for Hunger; and East County Helping Organization War on Poverty programs and services. Betty helped pass Representative Edith Green’s amendment to war on poverty legislation which brought forth Multnomah County Community Action Agency. This was the first public community action agency in the United States. MCCAA started many programs including Latchkey and Head Start. Betty was one of the first involved in the parks and recreation movement in East Multnomah County and helped push forward the creation of Red Sunset Park two blocks from Farmington Square in Gresham. She founded People for Parks, Inc., and served as president advocating for park sites adjacent to schools in unincorporated areas in Gresham. Betty was also interested in improving public education. She and Sed set up a Mt. Hood Community College student scholarship fund. She also served on the Oregon State Fair Dismissals Appeal Board appointed by Governor Tom McCall. She wrote an article entitled “The School Board Member’s Wife” which was commended by Senator Mark Hatfield who placed it in the Congressional Record. Betty was one of the founding organizers of the Portland Saturday Market and she sold her sea miniatures sand art and jewelry in a booth.

Betty’s quiet Christian faith helped her to find strength and hope through her husband’s struggle with polio and lifetime disability, and in her own struggle with Alzheimer’s after her mother’s battle with the disease. She has always known God is with us, loves us unconditionally, and calls us to love our neighbor. She has lived the Christian values to ‘strive for the love of God to reign supreme in her heart; speak all manner of good; make allowances for human infirmities; to see the world as the parish; to give all she could to others; to help people come to faith by reason, truth, and love; and to strive for perfection in Christ’s Way.” Betty taught her sons and grandkids Christian values in her relationships of caring and compassion for others and her commitment to serve the common good. A special time each year was when her family celebrated Advent at home. She and Sed expressed their Christian faith singing in church choirs at Rose City and Cherry Park United Methodist churches. Betty served as chair for the Women’s Society for Christian Service at Cherry Park. She helped organize the Hunger Walks at Gresham United Methodist. In 1969, she was the recipient of the Woman of Distinction from Savage Memorial United Presbyterian Women’s Association. Like many from her generation, Betty has lived her faith by trying to be faithful in following Jesus.

Betty has had much enjoyment in life like when teaching her boys and grandkids how to swim and gardening, tending to plants, gourmet cooking, and so many other things like standing on their heads against the wall to improve posture! She loved entertaining and new experiences like travels to Europe and Africa, Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii. She and Sed took their boys to Southern California every year and spent many good times at Disneyland on family vacations! She lived a good life and she is loved for who she is and what she has done for others.