Evelyn Elizabeth "Betty" Albach, age 93, was peacefully called to glory on June 18, 2016. Betty was born on February 12, 1923, in Harriman, Tennessee, to Robert and Helen (Kugler) Crawford. She was married for 62 years to Reverend William H. Albach whom she met when he was a vicar at her Tennessee church. They served in ministry with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at Immanuel, Havillah, WA; Mt. Olive, Shelton, WA; Trinity, Bend, OR; Trinity, Odebolt, IA; and Hope, Spokane Valley, WA.
Betty loved music and taught piano lessons for close to 60 years. She not only gave the gift of music to her students, both kids and adults, but she also became their friend and mentor. She also served as organist at Hope Lutheran Church (Spokane Valley).
Bill and Betty loved to travel, from the yearly auto trips when the girls were still home to international excursions, often with Friendship Force of Spokane. They were able to visit all 7 continents, something this young Tennessee gal would never have imagined. (Her favorite – Brazil.) She and Bill were avid fishermen and, after moving to Spokane, began making annual trips to the Pacific Coast to fish for salmon and bottom fish. They were well-known for their salmon barbecues and smoked salmon.
Betty loved to sew and created beautiful quilts for family and friends. She was very active with the quilting group at St. John Lutheran, Spokane, which shares quilts with relief organizations. Her manicured lawn was the envy of the neighborhood and she loved nurturing plants, shrubs and flowers. She was never one to sit still for long and was an avid fundraiser for the church, whether it was through can/bottle collections or by hosting garage sales.
Betty is survived by her daughters: Faith Roedel (Lloyd) of Coeur d’Alene, ID; Claudia Tracy (James) of Naples, FL; Marcia Zeebuyth (Rex) of Coos Bay, OR. She leaves behind 7 grandchildren: Kirsten (Dale) Fleming of Rochester, MN; Tim Rabe of St. Paul, MN; Matthew (Tamara) Rabe of Bedford, TX; Mark (Alison) Roedel of Longview, TX; Dina (Russell) Kowal of Bakersfield, CA; Chad (Audrey) Zeebuyth of Gresham, OR; Regan (Tim) of Seattle, WA; and 12 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at St. John Lutheran Church, 5810 Meadowlane Road, Spokane, WA 99224 on June 28, 2016 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make memorials to St. John Lutheran Church.
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