Betty Gressel

Betty and her identical twin, Dorothy, were born on February 12, 1927 to Harry and Rose Malik in Cleveland, Ohio. She was one of eleven siblings, including two sets of twins. Like other families who lived through the Great Depression and WWII, the Maliks understood the importance of family, hard work, and sacrifice When her three brothers and one sister went off to war, Betty and Dorothy worked night shifts in munition plants while attending high school during the day. Betty was delighted with her 25 cent hourly wage!

Betty graduated from Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1945 and went from building land mines to selling fine jewelry at The May Company Department Store in downtown Cleveland.

Betty married Phillip “Kingy” Gressel on October 31, 1948 and moved to Delphos where they raised their five children, all Delphos Jefferson graduates. Betty was active in the Lima, Ohio synagogues Shaare Zedek and Temple Beth Israel. She taught Sunday school for decades and was very proud of her strong Jewish education. Betty kept a kosher household even though the nearest kosher butcher was 200 miles away.

Betty was a Cub Scout Den Mother and an active member of the Delphos Phi Delta Sorority known for community service, especially buying shoes for children in need. Betty helped bring the Head Start Program to Delphos in the mid 1960s and was one of its first teachers. She offered office space in the old Gressel Produce building on East Second Street (originally the site of the Steinle Brewery) and it was soon filled with preschool children.

When the Head Start Program moved to Lima, OH the building was demolished and the Gressel family donated the property to Delphos St. John’s for school expansion. In the 1970s Betty handled the payroll at Gressel Produce Company while attending The Ohio State University Branch Campus in Lima, Ohio where she earned an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. During the 1980s she sold ice cream supplies and paper products for Rehm Distributing; The Delphos Creamery was one of her favorite accounts.

Betty was a knowledgeable antique collector specializing in silver, cut glass, and Ohio pottery. She never missed a Lima flea market or local Delphos farm sale. Before moving to Chicago, Betty authorized a family auction of her prized antiques collection. The auctioneer observed that he had never sold so many items with the owners still living. She continued her passion for collecting in Chicago at the Heritage Trail Antique Mall and was often observed bin-diving when elderly neighbors “foolishly” discarded overlooked “treasures.”

After Betty and Phil moved to Chicago in 1998 she took Jewish Adult Education courses. In Chicago she was the undefeated Jewish Trivia Champ at the Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center. After Phil passed away in 2002, Betty remained active in her new synagogue and in her condo association where she organized parties and gatherings. She loved movies, delighting in foreign films and enjoyed every ethnic restaurant her children insisted on trying.

Betty is survived by two sisters, Miriam Fox (Palo Alto, CA) and Sylvia Kugelman (Cleveland, OH). Her children are Joe and Susan Gressel (Paradise Valley, AZ), Art and Judy Gressel (Austin, TX), Daniel Gressel (Miami, FL), Josh and Noga Gressel (El Cerrito, CA) and Tamar and Peter Sharp (Jackson, MS). Her grandchildren: Jim O’Toole, Rachel D’Onofrio, Sam Gressel, Jaron Gressel, Leon Gressel, Sydney Gressel, Zoe Gressel, Noam Gressel, Ilan Gressel, Gal Gressel, Gilad Gressel, and Amit Gressel, and Sophia Sharp Fetchko Her beloved grandson, Simon Sharp, passed away in 2007. Betty is also survived by great grandchildren Ruth, Frances, Caleb, Arielle, Madalyn, Penelope, Charlotte, Vivian, Marlon, Tenzin, Thea, Oliver, Leo, Summer, Hazel, and Shiloh.

The Gressel family wishes to acknowledge the loving care and kindness provided by Austin caregivers Fabiola Gutierrez, Lupita DeLoera, Cecilia Martinez, Lilia Ramirez, Jaricsel and Daylu Aviles. Betty never left her apartment without perfect hair, nails, and coordinated outfits. She always looked fabulous!

Services for Betty Gressel will be held at the New Light Cemetery at 1 pm in Lincolnwood, IL on Friday, January 9, 2026. (gathering in the chapel at 12:30) She will be buried next to her husband, Phil. In lieu of flowers please honor Betty with a donation to Magen David Adom (https://afmda.org), Israel’s primary provider of emergency medical services. May her memory be a blessing.