Bethene "Betty" Goldfuss

Bethene Marie (Anderson) Goldfuss was born the second child and first daughter to Chester and Dorothy Anderson on June 25, 1934. She was 2nd in line of 13 children.
As we can only imagine, Betty started at a young age helping her mom keep house, cook and care for the little ones. She grew up north of Atkinson where she attended a rural country school. After graduating from 8th grade, she moved to Atkinson and lived in an apartment while attending Atkinson High School. During her four years, she was active in Girls Glee club and the pep club. She graduated in the spring of 1952. To quote the class prophecy from her Senior Yearbook, "Betty Anderson flew here from Hawaii to attend the reunion. Her husband is superintendent of Honolulu High School and Betty is an elementary teacher. We always knew that Betty, with her sparkling eyes and wonderful personality, would go a long way in life."
Well, Betty didn't marry a High School Superintendent from Hawaii, nor did she teach elementary school, but with her sparkling eyes and wonderful personality, she did go a long way in life.
It all began one evening, when she attended a local dance with her sister. She met the man that would take her down that path of life. Harold Goldfuss caught her eye. Or maybe her sparking eyes caught Harold's attention. They were married Sept 28, 1953, at a courthouse in Sioux Falls, SD. She moved out to the Goldfuss farmstead and became the epitome of a true Farmer's Wife.
On August 25, 1959, they welcomed a baby girl, Beth Ann, into the world.
Betty's early years of helping her mother keep house and raise babies helped her start her life as a Farmer's wife. She kept a spotless and organized home, cooked 3 to 4 meals daily, -- from scratch, no box mixes, prepackaged meals or door dash. She was known to be outside helping Harold with mechanical tasks, herding cattle, herding or slopping the pigs and always feeding her chickens and gathering the eggs. She also perfected the process of butchering and cleaning chickens.
Laundry day for Betty was a full day's process for many years, as she used a ringer washer in her basement and hung the clothes to dry. We can only imagine how much she appreciated that washer and dryer set she purchased after a couple decades of marriage.
Her garden was vast and abundant, growing all kinds of vegetables that she spent the summer canning and preserving. Her jars of dill pickles were coveted by family and friends. They didn't last long when she served them at family functions. She also preserved many jars of fresh peaches, pears and cherries, as Harold loved them.
Her cooking and baking became a legend in the family, with homemade Angel Food Cakes being the most requested. Her chocolate cakes were not far behind. The baked bean recipe has become a classic and is still being perfected by other family members. Deviled Eggs and fried chicken to name a couple other staples.
A typical day on the farm meant fixing breakfast, cleaning up, putting together a noon lunch, cleaning up, preparing an afternoon lunch that she would deliver to whatever part of the farm Harold would be working. It might have been just sandwiches but always a salad of some sort, a thermos of ice tea and a fresh baked dessert. Then home to fix supper to be served around 8 or 9 in the evening.
One might assume she only had time to accomplish housework, cooking, farm work, gardening and preserving. But somehow, she made time for herself and her hobbies, which was mostly sewing or crocheting.
Dancing was a favorite past-time of the couple, whether close by or traveling up to South Dakota. They danced waltz's, two steps and enjoyed a lively Polka. Sunday evenings during the summer found them at the Stuart Race Way following their favorite drivers and cheering them on.
Those sparkling eyes and great personality made her a friend of many. She loved for people to come visit. It never mattered what time of day or whether they expected company or not. Along with great conversation, you were served a small feast of something homemade. Upon leaving, her comment was always, "Come back when you can stay longer."
During her 90 years, they were able to do a little traveling to visit brothers and sisters that had moved away. She started collecting mugs from each state she visited. Others began helping her with that collection.
So, she never made it to Hawaii, but she lived a full 90 years. She endured the tough times, the bad health times and losing her life partner, her parents and three brothers. She also celebrated the good times, enjoyed the large family and the many friends. She danced, she laughed, and she smiled and --she could get a bit sassy. Her spirit never gave up as she continued after leaving her beloved homestead and moving into town. She missed her farm life terribly. The lord blessed her with lodging in facilities with 2 of her sisters and they became inseparable.
Betty was a member of the Atkinson Presbyterian Church for her entire 90 years.
Leaving behind her daughter she knew that with the close-knit family of her 12 siblings, many in laws and many nieces and nephews, Beth would never be alone but enveloped into a family that Betty helped to raise so many years ago.
Rest in peace Aunt Betty, you have run your race and you ran it well. We will miss your sparkling eyes and great personality here on earth but are looking forward to the day we will see you again, along with Chester and Dorothy, and your brothers Dean, Garold and Vernon.
Survived by:
Daughter: Beth Ann Griess of Powell, WY
Siblings: Elaine Holmes of Atkinson, NE
Dody Pahl of Atkinson, NE
Elvon (Carolyn) Anderson of Columbus, NE
Bernard (Leile) Anderson of Columbus, NE
Eileen Osborne (Dale) Atkinson, NE
Clayton (Eileen) Anderson of Atkinson, NE
Mary (J. Harvey) Scott of Tulsa, OK
Janice (Rev. Mike) Hibbs of Austin, MN
Diana Den Herder of Tampa, FL
Sisters-in-law: Gloria Anderson of Oneida, NY
Nancy Anderson of Winchester, TN