Betsy Jochum

Betsy Jochum, 104, of South Bend, Indiana passed away at 11:23 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Southfield Village. Betsy was born on February 8, 1921 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Frank and Katherine (Augustin) Jochum. She retired in June 1983 from the South Bend Community School Corporation, where she was employed as a Physical Education and Social Studies Teacher at Muessel School for 27 years. She is survived by her sister, Frances Jochum of Cincinnati, Ohio and her good friends, Phyllis Smallwood and Diane Gram. A Catholic Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 7, 2025 in the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, Indiana. Private burial will take place at a later date at Arlington Memorial Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio. A visitation will take place from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Saturday in the funeral home. Betsy was a 1957 graduate of Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She received her Master's Degree from Indiana University in 1961. Betsy was a member of the South Bend Blue Socks, which was part of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She played from 1943 – 1948 where she was a center fielder, left fielder and a pitcher. Betsy is a member of the Coveleski Baseball Hall of Fame and the Ohio State Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1983 Betsy donated her Blue Sox uniform to the Smithsonian Institution where it was part of a 2 year traveling display. Many items of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League are housed at the History Museum in South Bend. Betsy played in the first night game hosted in the history of Wrigley Field, Chicago which was held in 1944. The first All Star Game for American Girls Professional Baseball League. Betsy enjoyed playing for a record crowd of 10,000 fans attending the Blue Sox double header held at Playland Park in 1946. She was an ardent Notre Dame fan and participated in many sports. Memorial Contributions may be directed to: All American Girls Professional Baseball League AAGPBL,George Chapman, 1320 Bluff Dr., Howell, MI 48843 or Pet Refuge, 4626 S. Burnett Dr., South Bend, IN 46614.
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