Betty Ann Cissell
August 23, 1926 - May 24, 2022
Obituary
Betty was born just three years before the Great Depression hit. She was the first child of William Porter Mills and Martha Belle Oren of Lynn, Indiana. Betty grew up on the family farm and, with her sister Sarah, 16 months younger, learned hard work at an early age. The family moved around at first (mostly Oklahoma and Florida), as her father was a door-to-door Electrolux vacuum cleaner salesman. After he made enough money to buy his own farm, they returned to Lynn.
When they later moved to Indianapolis, Betty would get nearly straight A’s and was Class VP at Arsenal Tech High School, one of the biggest high schools in the country with nearly 7000 students. Then, Butler University, where she was a member of Job’s Daughters and crowned Queen of the Indiana DeMolay her junior year. In August 1946, one week shy of turning 20, she married the first and only love of her life, James Lawrence Cissell, at St Peter’s Lutheran Church, after he returned from his US Army stint in the Philippines during WWII.
Their firstborn, James Porter, arrived the following year. While Jim worked 80+ hours a week as a machinist, Betty did all the rest. She was a great seamstress, a fabulous cook, and taught her children everything, including how to bike and play sports.
In 1950, the family moved to the suburbs near Southport, Indiana, where Jeanette Marie was born in 1952 and Jeffery Lynn in 1954. For four years, all five lived in a garage (with curtains for walls) while Betty and Jim built their new home—mostly by themselves.
They joined Calvary Lutheran Church nearby and enrolled Jimmy and Jeanette at Calvary Lutheran School. But, in 1959, they sold their beautiful new home—and everything else—and moved to Des Moines, Washington. Jim had been through the area on his way to WWII and thought it was gorgeous. Betty dutifully agreed to the move. In Des Moines they found a brand-new house with a spectacular view of Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier, which Betty would always refer to as “my mountain.”
While raising her last child, Jennifer Ann, born in 1964, Betty took a job in aerospace accounting with GE and worked there full-time until she retired in 1991. She also did the accounting for Jim’s business, and later Jeff’s, when he took over the machine shop.
Betty was very active at Resurrection Lutheran Church. She taught Sunday School and vacation Bible school, worked with the Walther League youth group, sang in the choir, set up for communion, was an LWML delegate, knitted countless sweaters and caps for babies in need, wielded a hammer on three house-building missions to Mexico, and was church Treasurer for many, many years until she retired in 2008. When she passed at 95, Betty was the oldest member of the congregation, had been a member for 63 years, and outlasted five pastors: Pastors Moore, Kudick, Gerken, Hagen, and Dorpat.
To her very core, Betty was a caregiver. She hosted almost every family holiday celebration. She opened her home and let three of her four adult children move back in with her. Two of her grandkids lived there the first year of their lives. When her daughter Jeanette, age 54, was dying from an incurable brain cancer, Betty, age 81, went everywhere with her for surgeries and treatment—even a desperate trip to a faith healer in Texas. When all hope was exhausted, Betty brought Jeanette back home and took care of her, almost singlehandedly, until the end. As Jeanette had signed up to run the Paris Marathon the next year, Betty went in her place to cheer on her spirit. Betty loved her family.
And she loved the outdoors, especially family camping and fishing trips to the San Juans—even though Jim never quite got over the fact that Betty caught the biggest King salmon. When asked what she wanted to do for her 90th birthday, she replied, “Boat camping on Blake Island!” Betty was adventurous. At 50, she took up downhill skiing. She skied until she was nearly 80, riding the bus up to the slopes on her own. She did a coast-to-coast US car camping trip when she was 76, solo. She was an active member in the Highline Bicycle Club well beyond that. She attended theater and the symphony into her 90’s. And she loved to travel abroad—Switzerland, Germany, France, and Greece. Her favorite trips were her 80th birthday cruise to the Bahamas with her daughter, Jeanette, and Jerusalem and the Holy Land with Pastor Hagen and other members of her Resurrection congregation.
After her husband Jim passed in 1988, Betty continued to live alone, in her own home, and took care of nearly everything by herself. Betty was strong and determined. She survived Covid twice and four different cancers. After her latest diagnosis of colon cancer, she had a constant stream of family and friends who visited over the next four weeks. All three of her remaining kids were there with her in her final hours. She died, peacefully, in her sleep, taking her last breath in her daughter Jennifer’s arms.
Betty Ann Cissell, go, reap thy heavenly reward, thou true and faithful servant.
Betty is survived by three of her children: Jim (Linda Johnson) Cissell, Jeff (Alisa) Cissell, and Jennifer Lewis; 5 grandchildren: Dustin (Valerie) Lewis, Desiree (Ryan Smullin) Lewis, Jamie (Kaitlin) Cissell, Darrell Lewis, Danielle (James) Heinrich; 10 great grandchildren: Kyle, Karson, Eli, Emersyn, Hudson, Brooklyn, Aubrey, Caleb, Sofia, and Darrell Jr.; a nephew, Chuck (Marla) Burgess, and a niece, Claudia (Don) Mobley. Betty was preceded in death by her father and mother, husband Jim, daughter Jeanette, and sister Sarah.
A committal service will be held at Bonney Watson/Washington Memorial on May 22, where Betty will be interred in the Garden Mausoleum, crypt 25D with her daughter, Jeanette. Pallbearers are Jim, Jeff, Alisa, and Jamie Cissell; and Jennifer and Desiree Lewis.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 134 S. 206th Street, Des Moines, on June 25 at 2:00 PM. All family and friends are invited.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Betty’s memory may be made at Resurrection-LCMS.org. or
mailed to :
Resurrection Lutheran Church
134 S. 206th St.
Des Moines, WA 98198
Betty surely lived a full, bountiful life, and left behind many great memories. A special lady indeed!
Privilege to know Betty and climb the stairs to her home.
Sweet Aunt Betty!! I wish our families would have been closer! One of my favorite memories of her is, that she always wore high heels and lip stick. She was beautiful! Love you all!
A full and beautiful life. Lovely~