It is with great sadness that the family of Elizabeth Ann ‘Betty’ Hutchinson (nee Husch, Marchand) announce her sudden passing on Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at the age of 75 years. Betty was born in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan on February 5, 1949. She grew up with her seven siblings in St. Walburg and Grimshaw, Alberta. She moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1970, and married James Marchand, where Bill was born. Following the birth of Kim, the family relocated to Red Deer, Alberta in 1973, where she resided for the next twenty-six years. After raising her two children, Betty remarried in 1999, and moved to a ranch near Lousana, Alberta, where she enjoyed a change of pace in rural living. She returned to Red Deer in 2016, where she lived her single life to the fullest. Betty ‘Bets, Betty-Ann’ was known for her strong work ethic and her love of family. While in Red Deer, she held many jobs, cleaning houses, taking care of children and worked for many years at Careyon Signs and Graphics with her friend and neighbor, Maureen Carey. Betty was known for her cooking and gardening skills and later in life even took on the hobby of refinishing antique furniture. She loved watching her kids play sports, any sport, and was up for a drive to most anywhere, as long as she could watch them play. She honed her sewing skills by making Halloween costumes and sewing on Beaver and bowling league patches. Mom said that her saddest day was when the kids stopped playing sports. When Alexi and Ryder came along, not only was she over the moon to have grandchildren to spoil, she was also able to start watching them play softball and soccer. Her last trip took her all the way to Montana to watch Alexi play softball. Betty jumped at the chance to watch her dear friend, Lois’s grandchildren play sports and would gladly tag along to watch their hockey and ball games. When Betty moved to the farm, she embraced farm life like she did everything else, with gusto and a smile. She became a sharpshooter with her .22 and the gophers didn’t stand a chance. In 2004, she was awarded Farm Woman of the Year for the work that she put into transforming the farmyard into an award-winning horticultural masterpiece. Any road trip involved her keeping an eye out for the ‘perfect’ rock to add to the multi-level rock garden. When life brought her back to Red Deer, she again embraced all of her health challenges with grace and a smile. She worked briefly with her dear friends, Jim and Connie DeZutter at North Star Sports until her health no longer allowed her to work. Betty kept busy though, as she found friendship and activity playing Crib and Whist, joining the local dance community and volunteering at Sunnybrook Farm. In her later years, despite a somewhat failing memory, she could still have multiple games of online Scrabble going, while honing her Crib game and started to win tournaments. ‘Nana,’ as she was known to Alexi and Ryder, will always be remembered for having the best toy and craft bins at the ready. Whether it was going camping or sledding down a hill, Nana was always ready for an adventure. She set up her apartment with bunk beds so that the grandkids always had their own bed at Nana’s. Alexi loved it when she got an opportunity to have a sleepover at Nana’s house and have some girl time, but Nana loved it even more. As the kids got older, there were many rounds of Trouble, Uno and Betty even ventured into dance and bowling video game competitions. Family was an important part of Betty’s life. Whether it was large family reunions, or the annual Husch sisters get together, Betty looked forward to laughter and silliness that was sure to ensue. Her sisters were her rock and her lifeline throughout her life. Betty was thrilled to watch Bill and Jeanette get married in an intimate ceremony just outside of Seattle in 2005. Bill and Betty shared a special bond that carried through to her very last days as they took a tour of southern Alberta on the way back from Montana. She didn’t let up in the Crib games though and won nine out of ten games. She found some maple walnut fudge, and then toured the beautiful countryside. The last week of Betty’s life summed up everything that made her happy – watching sports, spending time with family, and enjoying nature with sweet treats along the way. Betty will be lovingly remembered by her children, Bill (Jeanette) Marchand of Seattle, and Kimberly Marchand, and her grandchildren, Alexi and Ryder Olson of Calgary, Alberta. She will also be sadly missed by her sisters, Louise (John) Lerman, Lorraine (Paul) Sergent, Denise (Jim) Baumgardt, Sharon (Ron) Szmata, Diane (Marcel) Bisson, and Debbie (Dennis) McGinnis, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. Betty was predeceased by her parents, Peter and Josephine Husch and her eldest brother, Gerald (Frances) Husch. The family will gather together at a later date to celebrate her life and lay her ashes to rest with her mom and dad in Grimshaw, Alberta. If desired, Memorial Donations in Betty’s honor may be made directly to STARS at www.stars.ca.
A saying that mom saved:
“Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow. If you must
bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all my prejudices against my fellow
man. If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all that I have asked, I will live forever.”
Cremation entrusted to Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium, Red Deer, Alberta. Condolences,
memories and photos may be shared and viewed at www.parklandfuneralhome.com

Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium (Red Deer)

6287 – 67 A Street (Taylor Drive), Red Deer. 403.340.4040.

ONLY LOCALLY FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FUNERAL HOME/CREMATORIUM

IN THE CITY OF RED DEER

• Date : 2024-07-22
• Location : (Red Deer) Locally Family Owned (Red Deer/Blackfalds/Eckville) www.ParklandFuneralHome.com & (Innisfail/Olds/Didsbury/Sundre) www.HeartlandFuneralServices.com