Betty Lee Maker

Betty Lee Maker August 24th, 1928 - October 3rd, 2021 The timing for Mom's arrival into the world was not the greatest. Just in time for the Great Depression! Her parents, Mark Allen Coleman and Edna Mae Reusch were living on a farm near Baldwin City, Kansas when Betty was born on August 24th, 1928. She joined her older sister Lila Mae and eventually a young brother, John Allen. Her father was a very intelligent individual. It was never clear to her how this could be, inasmuch as he told of playing "hooky" from grade school constantly and did not go to school beyond the 8th grade. He thought it much more educational to sit on the bank and catch catfish. His attitude eventually changed and he regretted not having taken advantage of the opportunities he had to get a better education as he set himself to "learning" current events and technology. When WWII started, they had moved to Portland, with her dad and step-mother working on the "Liberty" Ships. He as a crane operator and she as a welder. Everything was different for Mom. She had ration stamps for gasoline, sugar and meat! They were doing their own canning with honey and cut all necessary driving. We were living in Newberg. When her Mom and Dad were in the shipyards, Mom and Lila worked long hours in the berry fields and orchards. Her family had been well trained by their Dad, and they were always known as the "hard workers" Half the money earned went into the family coffers. The other half for school clothes and supplies. After WWII, the family bought a farm near Terrebonne. Her Dad became a full time farmer and Mom started working for the Security Administration when she met the county agent. He commented to Mom, "if you are half as good as managing as your father is at managing a farm, you will go far". She never forgot those words and tried to live up to them. That was the beginning of her 30 year career with the Department of Agriculture. For 15 years, she worked at the Forest Service and then took a very promising position in Washington D.C. There, she was fortunate in being promoted several times. She ended up being the chief budgetary analyst for the Department of Agriculture, providing constant budgetary analyst for Congressional hearings on Capital Hill. Retiring in 1986, and returning to Bend, she published numerous anthologies on family genealogy. Through the years, Mom and Dad(Herb), were very active in the Masonic bodies in Bend. Mom was Royal Matron of the Bend group and in 1973 was honored to be the Grand Royal Matron for the State of Oregon. Her husband,Herb, passed away in 2003. She is survived by her sister, Lila Coleman of Portland, her son Larry and wife Judy in Edmonds, Washington and younger son Steve and partner, Harvey Freer of Portland. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home. Grave site service will be held Monday, October 11th at 1:00 pm at Greenwood Cemetery in Bend. Remembrances may be made to Eastern Star of Central Oregon, or to the Oregon Diabetes Association.

Tributes

Betty Lee Maker

August 24, 1928 - October 3, 2021