Betty Jabs, of Jordan, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 2, 2020 surrounded by her loving family. She was 97 years old. Betty was a wonderful woman and will be deeply missed by all who loved her.
A Christian Funeral will be held on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 11:00 AM with visitation from 9:30 – 10:45 AM at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (100 Sixth Street West) in Jordan. Face masks and social distancing are required. Betty’s service will also be streamed at the following link: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Streaming. Pastor Jeremy Glowicki will preside, and Betty will be laid to rest at Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan. Her grandchildren will act as pallbearers.
On February 10, 1923, Betty Jean Ruehling was born to parents Fred & Hannah (Scharf) Ruehling. Betty was second of four children, and she loved growing up on the family farm with her siblings, Caldwell, Harriet and Mary.
After graduating from New Prague High School, she started working at an ammunition facility making bullets to support the war efforts during WWII. She later worked as a bookkeeper for the Pure Oil Gas Station in Jordan.
As a young woman, Betty met a nice young man at a local dance. Betty was first impressed by his handsome car parked out front. She told her sisters she was going to get a ride in that car. The car belonged to Henry Jabs. Betty eventually got a ride in the car and she was Henry’s co-pilot for the rest of his life. Betty and Henry exchanged wedding vows at Frieden Lutheran Church on June 10, 1950. Their marriage was blessed with many happy years and four wonderful sons, Ron, Steve, Randy and Ken.
For the majority of her life, Betty was a homemaker, and she had her hands full with four boys. She was an excellent cook known for jams, pies and delicious Sunday chicken dinners. As a family, they did a lot of traveling. Henry and Betty took their boys on many road trips out west to Yellowstone, the Rockies, and lots of campsites along the way. Every-other year, the family took a two-week long vacation. Betty was the family photographer and documented every moment along the way. Betty loved the mountains and the ocean and was so thrilled to share this love of nature with her boys. Henry and Betty also kept a huge garden. The whole family helped with weeding, picking and canning together.
The Jabs family also enjoyed fishing. Betty spent countless hours fishing with her boys and later when the grandkids came along, Henry and Betty also took them fishing. In her free time, Betty did a lot of needlework with embroidery, sewing and quilting. She played the organ at home and also enjoyed birdwatching. Betty loved to travel. Over the years, she and Henry visited all 50 states, and they even took a few trips abroad, including places like Germany, France, England, Russia and The Holy Land.
Betty was a faithful member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She enjoyed reading her daily devotions and meditations. She was also a member of Ladies Aide. When her beloved husband Henry passed away in 2010, it was Betty’s strong faith that got her through this difficult time. For almost a decade, Betty has called Oak Terrace home. She was the second person to move in when the facility opened. She had many wonderful friends there, and the staff took wonderful care of her.
Betty was a quiet and kind woman. She lived a simple life and enjoyed the little things. Betty was always loving and nurturing. She will be remembered always by her loving family. Betty is survived by her sons, Steve (Sarah) Jabs, Randy (Chris) Jabs, Ken (Lori) Jabs; daughter-in-law, Connie Jabs; grandchildren, Paul (Michele) Jabs, Nathan (Sarah) Jabs, Megan (Rodney) Bronson, Dan (Ellen) Jabs, Scott Jabs, Michael (fiancee, Kelsey) Jabs, Angela (Jeremy) Kalal, Dana (Jeremy) Larson, Amanda (Dan) Jensen, Missy Cole, Josh (Sami) Pexa, Kelsey Pexa: 20 great grandchildren; sisters, Harriet Plekkenpol, Mary Koepp; other relatives and friends. She was greeted in Heaven by her husband, Henry; son, Ron Jabs; parents, Fred & Hannah; brother, Caldwell “Cally” (Leona) Ruehling; brothers-in-law, Carl Plekkenpol and Fred Koepp.
