Thomas Dale Bettger

Thomas Dale Bettger 1947-2009 Thomas Dale Bettger, 62 died Thursday at St. Alphonsus Hospital as the result of a bicycle accident. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church in Boise. Tom was born in Vermilion, S.D., the oldest of four children of Victor and Esther Bettger. Tom graduated from North Dakota State University in 1971 with an engineering degree that took five years in order to allow such classes as Shakespeare, Etiquette, and German. An MBA followed several years later from Boise State, but Tom was always a Bison. Tom moved to Idaho to work for Morrison Knudsen, with dreams of traveling the world on construction projects. The reality was that he was sent back to North Dakota to work on a missile project. Before moving back to North Dakota he met Kathy Nelson at a group meeting in the home of his pastor. They started dating that week and their acquaintance grew through the rest of the summer before Kathy moved to Seattle to teach. After many long letters, Christmas vacation in Boise and much time on the phone, Tom proposed over dinner in the Seattle Space needle. They were married in Boise the next summer and their young marriage survived a small town Dakota winter. Back in Boise, Tom's next assignment with MK was the Inga-Shaba electrical transmission line that traversed the Congo. Tom and Kathy moved to Inga, Zaire, where they spent eighteen months with the construction project, followed by several months as volunteers with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Tom accompanied an American pilot on his relief flights in the African Bush where he helped isolated missionaries on their stations. Being raised by a first-rate, do-it-yourself father in a small town with no hardware or auto parts store helped him to use every available resource. After 3 1/2 months travelling Africa, Europe and Asia, Tom and Kathy returned to Boise expecting their first child. Employment with Idaho Power seemed a good choice, and Tom enjoyed the next 33 years in many different roles within the company. Three years after Molly's birth, their son Andrew was born. Family and woodworking hobbies kept him busy at home, and he regularly sought opportunities to help others. He would often ask, "What have you got going on there?" meaning, "I'd sure love to help." Even on vacations visiting family and friends, he often finished others' lingering projects or met an unanticipated need. His giving attitude and servant's heart impacted the lives of all, including his family members, the elderly and many refugees. As a result of their time spent on the Kimpese, Zaire mission station, Tom had a passion for sharing Christ with those whose practical needs he was able to meet. In recent years, Tom and Kathy participated in several church mission ventures, including the Montana Crow Agency, and projects in Rwanda and Nicaragua. He had a real love for the African people and was planning to return for longer periods of time when he retired. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Esther Bettger. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and his two children, daughter Molly and husband Patrick Rank of Vancouver, Wash., son Andrew Thomas Bettger of Seattle, Wash., and grandson Graham Thomas Rank; brothers Kenneth and wife Pam, Dan and wife R'Shelle, and sister Cheryl and husband Carl Lyons, many terrific nieces and nephews, and his Uncle Walter Aman of Portland, Ore. and Aunt Antonette Edwards of Oroville, Calif. We're thankful that we can look forward to seeing him soon. Family and friends now smile as we remember his regular words when parting, "If I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture." The remainder of our lives without him seems short when we look forward to eternity with him in heaven. We will celebrate his life at Boise First Baptist at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday May 27th. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the First Baptist Missionary fund.