Betty Jean Lindelow

Betty Jean Lindelow, 96, beloved wife of Dr. O.V. Lindelow, Bismarck, passed away February 15, 2015. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Monday, March 9, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with Pastor Paul Snyder officiating. Visitors are welcome to join the family an hour prior to the services for a time of fellowship and refreshments. Cremation has taken place. Betty Jean Bell was born November 1, 1918, in Sunbury, PA, the only child of Oliver and Della Stahl Bell. Betty was fondly given the nickname of "Betts" by her dad. Betty graduated at the top of her high school class in 1937. After graduation, she worked at a department store and bank until she came across an ad for the nurse cadet program through the University of Pennsylvania. She applied and was accepted, then graduated in 1947. She accepted a position in the pediatric department at the University of Pennsylvania hospital where she eventually became head nurse. Serendipity brought Betty Jean and Olaf Victor Lindelow together as soul mates in 1949. Betty was working as a pediatric nurse and Victor was a medical student, both coincidentally living in the same apartment building. Vic would join Betty for coffee and dessert, after being summoned by taps on the radiator pipes. Eventually Victor sold some of his medical books so that he could take Betty out on a date. They went to a basement bar, had a drink and danced all night to a nickelodeon; Betty and Vic have been dancing ever since. Betty and Vic were married in Mandan, ND, on September 11, 1950. They honeymooned in a borrowed car in the Black Hills of South Dakota before returning to Pennsylvania to complete Victor's medical school. Betty and Victor started their family in 1952 with the birth of their son, David Michael. Their family continued to grow with the addition of Susan Christine in 1953, John Eric in 1955, and Nancy Jean in 1957. Throughout this time they moved from Danville, PA, to Cleveland, OH, and finally to Bismarck, ND. First and foremost in Betty's life was her family. She was an amazing and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was always available with a listening ear or an extra helping hand. Betty and Vic took their children and eventually their grandchildren on an annual summer vacation to the Red Squirrel Resort near Bemidji, MN. Betty found every opportunity to get together with her family and friends, hosting many holiday, birthday, and jazz parties. Betty was amazing at establishing family traditions that left her family with memories that will be forever treasured. She would host Halloween parties with apple bobbing, costumes, and delicious chili; and Christmas gatherings with homemade vegetable soup and stockings stuffed with goodies for her young grandchildren as well as her grown children. Throughout their years in Bismarck, Betty was active in the community. She was generous and giving of her time, talents, and donations. Betty was involved in the Presbyterian Church bazaar, the Neighbors Network, the Abused Adult Resource Center, the Ruth Meiers Hospitality House, The Heart Association, Mid Dakota Clinic, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, 6th District Medical Alliance, Bismarck Arts and Galleries Association BAGA for which she and Fran Gronberg were two of the primary people to secure donations for the creation of the organization; the Current Events Club, the Great Plains Jazz Society, the Symphony League, and the Crafty Crafters. Betty enjoyed jazz and symphony music, sewing, crafting, gardening, traveling, art and oil painting. For twenty-seven years she hosted an annual Christmas party for Vic's Dixie band and enthusiasts with wonderful food and singing. Every year Betty decorated three little Christmas trees, each with a different theme. These were sold for very good prices at a silent auction fundraiser in support of the Symphony. She was an avid and eclectic shopper, always finding amazing deals and unique gifts. Betty and Vic traveled the world. They were able to enjoy travels to Australia to see the Melbourne Zoo, the Sydney Opera House, and the Military Museum in Canberra; New Zealand including Christchurch and Queenstown, and the Auckland Regatta. Additional travels took Betty and Vic to Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland; Russia, Europe, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Estonia, London, Hawaii, Stockholm, Sweden; Cologne, Germany; Amsterdam; Copenhagen, Denmark; Alexandria, Giza, and Cairo, Egypt; Ephesus, Turkey; Cyprus, Crete, Santorini; Venice, Italy, as well as the Mayan Ruins in Mexico. Betty and Vic traveled to Montreux, Switzerland in 1990 along with long-time friend, Vicki Hertz and Marilyn Monson and again in 1998 along with Vicki Hertz for the International Jazz Festival with the University of Mary Jazz Band directed by Scott Prebys. They also took a five-day riverboat trip on the Yangtze River in China where they visited Beijing, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Terra Cotta Soldiers, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Betty and Vic enjoyed a five-day trip on the Rhine River from Cologne to Zurich, as well as a luncheon trip on the Nile River. Betty and Vic were lifelong aficionados of Dixie music. They pursued this shared passion seeking out musical groups in St. Louis, Kansas city, San Antonio, and New Orleans, where they saw Pete Fountain, best clarinetist in the world. They also saw one of the most famous performers, Turk Murphy, in San Francisco. Betty and Vic's passion for jazz music also led them to a five-day Dixieland Band trip from Memphis, TN, to New Orleans, LA, as well as a Big Band trip to St. Thomas. Their final adventure took them to the east coast with stops in New York City where they saw the 9/11 World Trade Center site, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island; Boston, where they saw Harvard University in Boston's neighboring city Cambridge; Bar Harbor, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Betty is survived by her husband, Victor, Bismarck; her son, David Lindelow, Mandan; her daughter, Susan Stout, Mandan; her son, John Roz Lindelow, Hawaii; as well as her niece, Sharon Tim Shultz, Walcott, ND. She leaves behind many grandchildren including, Nathan Nicole Lindelow, Natalie Hemphill, Matthew Amanda Lindelow, Amber Meidinger, Jill Lindelow Steinle, MD, and her husband, Justin, Kara Jason Schaeffer, Adam Wetch, Noah Brooke Lindelow, Brynn Burbach, and Brittany Burbach; her great-grandchildren, Austin Frederick, Justin and Brooke Lindelow, Cailey, Landyn, Reece and Brynley Meidinger, Haylee Wetch, River Jane Lindelow, Sullivan and Sutton Steinle, Mason and Charlotte Schaeffer. She was preceded in death by her parents, Oliver and Della Bell; her daughter, Nancy; her sister-in-law, Bette Bohnet and Bette's husband, Harold; and her great-granddaughter, Trinity Hemphill. Vic describes Betty as his "Quintessential lady…always ready to help family and anyone. There is no quid pro quo for her. Everything is pro bono." Vic and Betty will continue to spend eternity together when their cremains are joined upon Vic's passing. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Bismarck Arts and Galleries Association, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony League, or the Alzheimer's Association at 1110 College Drive, Suite 216, Bismarck, ND, 58501.

Betty Jean Lindelow

November 1, 1918 - February 15, 2015