Betty Bartelson has been a member of St. Francis de Sales her
whole life (97 years!). She received all of the sacraments at SFDS and has always been an active parishioner. Betty was the Grand Regent of the Catholic Daughters (twice!) and a past president of the Altar Society. She directed the choir for seven years and frequently stepped in as a substitute playing the piano or organ for Mass.
She sang in the choir for well over 50 years and was a cantor much of the time. She was one of the first female Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion in the Diocese. She recently “retired” as the piano
accompanist for the Hispanic Mass at 5 p.m. on Sundays. Betty did this job faithfully every weekend for the past 21 years, using music to break the language barrier. In addition to raising her family, her career involved office manager positions at various doctor’s offices and at the John L. Chaney Instrument Company during the war.
Betty has seen many changes over the years at St. Francis. Her daughter was enrolled the very first year our school opened when she was in second grade. When asked what she thought of how St. Francis de Sales has evolved over the years, she said, “I’ve liked all of the changes….It’s a great place!” Thank you, Betty, for all of your years of ministry and for being a true inspiration!
