Betty was born on March 20, 1923, in Council Bluffs, Iowa to Gladys and Benjamin Ferguson. Her father was a switchman for the Union Pacific railroad. She had one sibling, Donald Ferguson. Although she grew up during the depression, she admittedly did not go without too much. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1941. The following year she married Leonard Hager who had grown up on a farm in Avoca, Iowa, with nine other siblings. Leonard was working as a soda jerk in a drugstore when they met. They honeymooned in Denver, Colorado, and upon their return to Iowa there was a letter in their mailbox which read “Greetings . . . .” Leonard was drafted into the Air Force and went off to bootcamp. Even though Leonard had not graduated from high school because of family obligations on the farm, he applied for and was accepted into officer training. As he went from base to base, Betty fearlessly met him at each location by train and/or bus. She had various jobs, but the majority were administrative positions. Leonard and Betty had three daughters—Diane, Donna and Deborah (Joy was later “adopted” as a daughter). The Hager family lived in Council Bluffs, Nebraska City, Denver and ultimately Broomfield, Colorado, starting in 1957. Approximately a year after moving to Broomfield, Betty started working as a secretary for Emerald School, where she remained employed throughout her work life. She had six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren and, of course, her canine kids. Betty was always surrounded by wonderful friends and coworkers. Her family also grew as people “adopted” her as their mother and/or grandmother. The rest of the family did not mind sharing her because she always had so much love and support to give to everyone. Betty loved to dance, travel (mostly on cruises), bowl, and fish. She had a true zest for life and tried to be as active as possible throughout her life. She was the best mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend anyone could ever ask for. She will be missed by many and loved always.
Betty E. Hager, 88, passed away on Feb. 1, 2012. She is survived by daughters Diane Martinez, Donna Hager, Deborah Hager and Joy Vera, grandchildren Wendy Dowd, Donna Jean "DJ" West, Darrell Weaver, Yvonne Barton and Ryan Vera, great-grandchildren Mark Weaver, Chris West, Travis West, Tyler West, Cody Crowder, Kaitlyn Dowd, Zachary Barton and Neveah Weaver. Betty was preceded in death by her husband Len, grandson Johnny Martinez, son-in-law Bruce Brenneck, brother Donald Ferguson and, of course, her dear parents.
Visitation, Mon. from 4-7pm with services at noon on Tues, both at Crown Hill Mortuary. Burial at Ft. Logan National Cemetery.
Condolences may be offered at www.CrownHillFuneral.com
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