July 23, 1923 – June 18, 2019. Elizabeth “Betty” Ann (Stevens) Rettenmier passed away peacefully at the age of 95 with family members at her side. Betty was born to Edgar Stevens and Merle Helmich in Doty Washington, a small logging town west of Chehalis. She graduated from Reedsport High School in 1941 and went to college at the University of Oregon where she majored in journalism. Betty was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and remained an avid “Duck” fan throughout her life. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and staff writer in Los Angeles and moved back to the northwest to take a job with the Longview Daily News where she met her future husband Al. They were married the following year on March 3rd 1952 and eventually settled in Everett where Betty worked as a staff writer and reporter for the Everett Daily Herald for over a decade. Her “beats” included DSHS, school districts and a humorous real life column. The family joined Trinity Episcopal Church and she and Al remained active members until 1998 when they moved to Panorama, a retirement community in Lacey, Washington. Betty was a long and committed member of the PEO. After retiring from the Herald, Betty spent time on various writing projects and loved gardening as a hobby. During their time in Everett they enjoyed boating in Puget Sound and the San Juan islands. Betty loved genealogy and had a special trip to Europe where they spent time in Germany looking up historical records of the “Rettenmaiers”. Retirement in Panorama was a wonderful chapter in Betty and Al’s life and they enjoyed over 20 years together with new friends and activities including a community garden and book club. Betty was a lifelong voracious reader and loved newspapers, magazines and especially books. She also loved genealogies and if you met her it was almost guaranteed that she would question you about yours. She was proud of her Stevens heritage that includes cousin Isaac Stevens, Washington’s first territorial governor and that her paternal grandfather Eugene Wingate Stevens was the first practicing doctor in Wenatchee. Her greatest love was her family and after planning a family get together she would quickly start talking about the next one. She was a fiercely devoted Gonzaga basketball fan because two of her sons played there and would not miss a game on television. Betty was a wonderful mom and a devoted wife to her husband of 67 years. She cherished her family and friends and will be greatly missed.
She was preceded in death by her sister Pat (George) and leaves behind her loving husband Al, daughter Ann, sons Curt (Michelle), Ross (Judy) and John (Suzanne), grandchildren Cory (Alisa), Casey (Erin), Riley (Jessi), Maddy, Ellie, Jack, Katy, great grandchildren Brock, Quinn, Maggie, Porter and nieces Tara (Tony) Bogard and Gail (John) Horning. Arrangements are pending for a memorial service in Everett.
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