Betty Jane Meyer finished her course around midnight, September 23, 2021. Betty was born April 10, 1927 to Glen William Davis and Anna Elisabeth Olsen Davis at their farm in Harrisburg, Oregon. She joined a family of three older brothers: Harry, Frank and Glen Jr. and one older sister, Ida Mae. Later a little brother; Thaddeus Lee, and two more sisters, Mary and Margaret. Shortly before Betty was born another brother, Roy, drowned when only three years old. Glen Davis supported his family by logging, cutting wood to fuel prune dryers and hop dryers, raising turkeys and making grass hay on farmland that eventually became the US Army Camp Adair during WWII.
Betty grew up in the Great Depression as part of the hard-working Davis family who, though poor as everyone else, often had homeless down and out men at their table, trading a bit of work for a hot meal. Grampa Davis would find these hungry guys along the road and bring them home. He called them all “Mr. Man” and would quiz them about their adventures on the road.
Betty made and kept a lifelong commitment to follow the way and teachings of Jesus at Boring convention in 1941. The workers in that area as she grew up were Elmer Larsen, Willy Jamieson, Ida Krueger, Elizabeth Jamieson, and Elisabeth Anderson.
The two Elisabeths were together there when she was born. To avoid confusion, one of the two went by Betty for whom she was named.
Betty graduated from Monmouth High School in 1945, a time when several of her classmates left school early to go fight in WWII. She left home after high school to work in an insurance agency in Salem until February 1949, when she married Robert Meyer.
Their first home was a renovated chicken house in North Plains. From there they moved to Beavercreek with baby Lois. Then to a farm in Viola with baby Ralph. Ruth, Esther, and Paul were born there before they purchased the farm in Redland in 1961.
Betty was a full-time homemaker. She always raised a large vegetable garden, kept laying hens, and did a lot of the farm chores to raise the beef, pork, chicken, and milk for her family.
Betty was an avid reader who passed her curiosity and love of good books on to her family.
She had limited opportunity to travel, but her world was not small. She leaves behind a very well-worn typewriter that produced hundreds of letters that entertained friends and workers far from the farm in Redland. Her newsy chronicles about the trials and tribulations of farm life caused one reader to say, " I love Betty's letters, but after reading them, I'm so tired I have to go take a nap."
Betty spent her last six years in the home and care of daughter and son in law, Ruth and Alan Mitchell in west Portland. She made lots of new friends in those Sunday morning meetings and Gospel meetings on that side of town. She enjoyed many more visits from friends and workers at their home than out at the farm.
She loved watching all the birds and squirrels at their feeders and enjoyed the company of her cat and Ruth's two little dogs.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, all four brothers, sisters Ida Mae Lewis and Mary Gainey, her husband Robert, and daughter Lois Ramey (Lonnie). Surviving are her sister Margaret Meyer; her children: Ralph (Michelle), Ruth Mitchell (Alan), Esther Strong (LeeRoy), and Paul. Her grandchildren; Marcella Ramey, Benjamin Meyer, Rochelle Patterson,(Doug) Elisabeth Meyer (Will Swanson), Ashley Ramey, Joel Meyer and David Meyer; Great Grands: Connor Patterson, Alannah Patterson, Braden Patterson, Brooks Ramey and Hannah Ramey.
Betty will be missed by family and many friends, but we all know without any doubt that she is enjoying the place in Heaven that she began preparing for as a young girl.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18