Betty Rush

Betty "Boya" Rush, (nee: Stupar), age 82, died Friday, January 5, 2018 at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Oakland Center in Madison Heights. Betty was born Boya Stupar in Detroit on April 12, 1935 to the late Mike and the late Ruby (nee: Brdar) Stupar.It was at the young age of 5 years old that Betty's family, and she, received the diagnosis that her vision was being compromised and that the road ahead was likely to be a rocky one. For the first three years she was enrolled in a special class for the vision impaired, a class from which she ultimately graduated. Betty was a trooper and wasn't going to allow this challenge to define her, so she pressed on through life doing the best she could with the strengths she possessed. Yet with all her perseverance and stamina, her vision battles suffered a major blow when she lost her sight at the age of 38. From that point, life took on new and exciting meaning for Betty as she focused greatly on assisting fellow blind folks through their battles and helping in any way she was able,…pretty much what became her life's work.Never one to back down from a challenge, it was at the age of 46 that Betty decided she wanted to further her education, a path that began within the Macomb Community College system. After reaching her goals there, she decided to redirect her path to Madonna College where she ultimately received her Bachelor's Degree in 1985. From there, Betty chose to enhance her current degree status by entering the Master's program at Western Michigan University where, in 1987, she received her Master's Degree in Social Work at the age of 52. With all this education backing her up, Betty was honored to accept a position working for the State of Michigan as a Social Worker & Rehabilitation Teacher with a focus centered on assisting the blind. Along with helping to provide them with better adaptive aids and talking computers, Betty managed to jump through a lot of different hoops on their behalf depending on the specific need,…but they definitely had the right person in the right position doing the right thing for her counterparts. Helping people was Betty's life's mission and she was extremely passionate in how, what and why she did what she did. This passion found her rising each work day at the wee hour of 4:30 am,…readying herself for the mile walk to the bus stop,…then climbing aboard 2 different buses taking her 6 blocks to the front doors of the Cadillac Building in downtown Detroit. She worked tirelessly, carrying the largest case load in her department often working more than 50 hours per week. After many years of dedicated service and thousands of lives touched by her passion and help, it was at the age of 78 that Betty finally accepted her well-deserved retirement. Along with the work she did for the state, a side accomplishment and secondary venue she took on to share her passions came at the city level through her role as a Sterling Heights Council Member, a position she held for 10 years in their "Ethnic Committee" promoting cultural diversity within the community. So whether it was on a one-on-one level or the grander government scale, Betty's giving heart and desire to better the lives around her took on many different hats for the various different ways she was able to help,…simply all a part of that "life's mission" that guided much of what gave her the unselfish pleasures of lifting up her fellow man.Being the industrious and self-sufficient person she was, it would come as no surprise to anyone to discover that Betty was also a Metropolitan Farmer,…a fancy term for someone who grew her own vegetables in the backyard garden that she tilled with the utmost in TLC. Possessing a green thumb and the desire to consume more natural products, the vegetables she grew were rife with all the good stuff that accompanies anything "homegrown." As for Betty's favorite pastime, it could be summed up in one word,…Travel. Throughout her life, Betty spent countless hours traveling to many of America's "sights of splendor," and history, building upon her travel portfolio and places she had visited. Most of her travels were ventures she managed by herself, even to the level of the cruise she sailed solo. Yes, adventure was no stranger to Betty.Betty was the loving mother of Michael, beloved sister of Dolores Eder and the late Mitchell Stupar, and daughter of the late Mike and the late Ruby (nee: Brdar) Stupar. Visitation for Betty will be held Tuesday, January 9th from 3-9 pm, with a 7:00 pm Vigil Service, at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 1/2 Mile Rd.) in Warren. She will lie in state on Wednesday from 10:00 am until the time of her Funeral Mass at 10:30 am at St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church, 1755 E. Wattles Road, Troy, Michigan 48085. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township, Michigan. Please share memories at Betty's guest book above.