Elizabeth Ruth (Betty) Goff, 95, of Perry passed away Saturday, April 21 at the Rowley Masonic Home in Perry, Iowa.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 5 at 11 a.m. in the Great Room of the Rowley Masonic Home. Family will greet friends one hour prior to the service. A light lunch will follow the service in the Rowley Theatre Room.
Betty was born Jan. 27, 1923, in Americus, Kan., to Fred and Lydia (Haworth) Pierce.
She graduated from high school in Americus in 1941.
On July 3, 1943, Betty was united in marriage to Glenn Goff.
After Glenn’s service in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946, they made their home in Wichita, Kan., and then Pueblo, Colo., and later Chanute, Kan. In 1959 the family moved to Perry when Glenn decided to stop selling insurance in Kansas and start selling hospital supplies in Iowa.
They were the parents of four children, Andrea, Glenda, Tom and Karen. Except for a brief stint as Glenn’s secretary in an insurance agency in Chanute, Betty was a homemaker who loved to bake, garden, sew and quilt.
Betty learned to play golf in her 40s, enjoying time at the Perry Golf and Country Club.
She loved to play cards and bridge, a game she played to the end of her life.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the PEO for many years and found reading a great way to pass the time.
Betty is survived by her children, Andrea (Rus) Heerdt of Urbandale, Glenda (Mike) Hanback of Beaverdale, Tom Goff of Fairfield, and Karen Peters (George Eldridge) of West Des Moines; grandchildren, Anne Heerdt of Denver, Colo., Eric (Kirsten) Heerdt of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Katrina (Blair) Lampe of Eaton, Colo., Tom Peters of San Diego, Calif., Chris (Megan Hanson) Peters of Steamboat Springs, Colo., Stephanie Goff of Coralville, Iowa, Matthew Goff of Coralville, Molly (Chad) Vriezlar of Olathe, Kan., Ed (Victoria) Moller of San Diego, Calif., Jenny Eldridge of Pittsburg, Pa., Matt (Kim) Eldridge of West Des Moines and Tom Eldridge of Des Moines; great-grandchildren Erica, Tamarin, Tyler, Russell, Elizabeth, Zach, Aaron, Lydia, Alex, Louie, Gannon, Carter and Kaitlyn; and a great-great-granddaughter, Avery; also special friends Jeanne Tingwald, Jane Bohner and her bridge groups.
Bettey was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn; her parents; brothers, Charles, Dale and Jim; and sister, Lucille.
Sincere thanks to the staff at the Rowley Home and Dr. Stephen Sohn for their care over these past few weeks as she tried to regroup from a fall and a broken hip.
Memorial may be sent to Hastings Funeral Home in Perry, which was in charge of arrangement, or in lieu of flowers memorial donations may be directed to the Rowley Masonic Home, 1300 28th St., Perry, IA 50220 or the First Presbyterian Church, 1328 Fourth St., Perry, IA 50220.
