Betty Ann Ripley received her wings to Heaven Dec. 16, 2015, at Mercy Hospice House in Johnston. She was 86 years old.
Betty was a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was born to Henry and Jennie (Rasmussen) Bram Sept. 13, 1929, in Renwick, Iowa.
Services for Betty will be held Wednesday, Dec. 23 at Hastings Funeral Home in Perry. Words of comfort will be delivered by Reverend Paul Burrow of the First Methodist Church in Perry.
Casket Bearers will be Trevor Stevens, Matt Buchanan, Jason Buchanan, Matt Sass, Joe Bardeen and Ed Anderson. Dennis Morgan will be the musician.
Hymns selected by the family will include “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and “O Holy Night.” Internment will be held at Violet Hill cemetery in Perry.
A lunch will be provided after the service at the First Methodist church.
Betty attended Vernon Consolidated Schools, where she graduated and then went on to attend beauty school in Des Moines.
On March 12, 1950, she and Dave Henry Ripley were united in marriage in Renwick, Iowa, and moved to Perry where they lived for the remainder of their lives.
Betty was a beauty operator for several years in Perry until her three daughters were born. She worked for 27 years before retiring in the Perry Community School’s lunch program.
She loved being around the children. It was important for her to have her summers off to spend with her husband and family.
After retiring in 1994, Betty and Dave enjoyed many trips together, and with family they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in March 2000, the same year her husband, Dave, passed away.
Betty was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Perry.
She loved her family so very much, and they came first in everything. She loved to cook and bake treats for family and friends. She had a contagious smile and wonderful sense of humor. She loved people and loved life. She was an “Angel” on Earth!
Left to cherish her memory include daughter, Rhonda Buchanan and husband, Paul, of Indianola, daughter, Sandy Burris and husband, Carroll, of Perry, and daughter, Cindy Stevens and husband, Butch, of Perry; six grandchildren, Matt Buchanan of San Francisco, Calif., Jason Buchanan and wife, Angie, of Indianola, Jamie Burris of Des Moines, Kristen Sass and husband, Matt, of Perry, Erin Stevens and fiancé, Joe Bardeen, of Auburn, Ala., and Trevor Stevens and fiancée, Ashley McClain, of Lakeside, Iowa; three great-grandchildren, Jackson and Kylee Buchanan of Indianola and Atlee Sass of Perry; other relatives; and many friends as well as the staff and special friends at Spring Valley.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband, David; parents, Henry and Jennie Bram; three brothers, Jake Bram, Fred Bram and Lewis Bram; and six sisters, Matilda White, Doris Withers, Anita Olsen, Jennie Norden, Eldine Adams and and Bertha Dunlap.
Online condolences may be sent to www.hastingsfh.com
