Obituary for Betty Lou Walesch

Betty Lou Walesch was born December 17, 1930, just outside the city of Tacoma, WA, in the foothills of Mt. Ranier and near the Puget Sound, joining her brothers and sisters in a home without indoor plumbing. Born at the start of the Great Depression, Betty formed her distinctly positive attitude and sense of adventure early in life. Digging clams, picking oysters, foraging for berries or washing stinky laundry for the commercial fisherman in exchange for fresh salmon wasn’t a burden; it was an “adventure”. Carrying spring water home in buckets was one of her favorite parts of the day. In 1947, Betty met her future husband Marcel at a truck stop diner in Ivanhoe, MN, where Betty was a waitress. They married and settled in Osseo, Minnesota, and went on to have 4 children. Family and friends were always Betty’s focus with summers spent at the family cabin and big productions for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Always generous and full of love (but feisty in her younger years), Betty would take anyone and everyone under her wing and help them (unless they “put on airs” – then, look out). Betty started working at Honeywell in 1965 and was a dedicated employee, retiring in 1991. She aged like fine wine into the sweetest, most positive, worry-free lady most people knew. Tougher than nails, no medical ailment could curtail her adventures. Her favorite “adventure” was driving her beat-up minivan from MN to the beach town of Melaque, Mexico, right through cartel territory. “What would the cartel want with me?”, she’d ask, attempting to allay our concerns. She made this trek until she was 89, befriending people from all over the world. The next two years she agreed to fly to Mexico as a compromise. She capped off her final year in Mexico at 91 years old by slaying 3 marlin in one day in the middle of the Pacific with her son Dan. Her last year of life was spent at Catholic Elder Care in NE Mpls, under the expert, loving care of the wonderful staff. Ever-positive, upbeat and graceful, she was loved by staff and had a huge smile and lots of conversation for any visitor. Betty was preceded in death by husband Marcel Walesch, grandson Nicholas Walesch, brothers Jim, Harold, Robert and Burly and sisters Hatie and Gloria. She is survived by her children Jerry (Barb) Walesch, Patricia (Mike) Manning, Danny (Natasha) Walesch, Teresa Walesch, 12 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 4 great- great-grandchildren, and sister Delsey. She will always be remembered as the original OTG (One Tough Granny). What a legend. Funeral Service at Church of St. Vincent De Paul 9100 93^rd Ave N., Brooklyn Park, MN, on Wed. April 17, 2024 with 9:30AM reviewal, 10:30 mass, and luncheon to follow.