Betty L. Lingle

Betty L. Lingle, 80, of Coloma, passed away, Sunday, September 28, 2008 at Lakeland Specialty Hospital in Berrien Center. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 P.M. Wednesday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with Rev. Marlo Fritzke officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Friends may call from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Animal Aid. Those wishing to share a memory may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Betty was born December 22, 1927 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but lived most of her early life in St. Joseph. She attended Washington School and St. Joseph High School, graduating in 1946. She attended Michigan State University, but had to terminate her college education because of rheumatic fever. Music was one of Betty’s many gifts. She played the clarinet in the high school band, as well as in a quartet and the pep band. She also gave private lessons and played in the St. Joseph Municipal band under the direction of John Howard. While at MSU, she played in the marching band. Betty was also interested in sports. She played center for the high school basketball team, and softball for the Superior Steel Wildcats or Twin City Wildcats. She played third base and right field under the coaching of Eddie Deal, a former catcher for the St. Louis Browns. She was also a terrific bowler, one time rolling a 299. She was a member of Women’s International Bowling Congress, and the Southwestern Michigan Women’s Bowling Association of which she was past president. Betty enjoyed the opportunity to travel the United States participating in many tournaments. Through her love of music and sports, Betty found work in many areas. She worked at Kniebes Music Store for many years. Her friend “Chic” Kolesar got Betty a job at the Herald Palladium where she worked for 20 years, and later at the Twin City News, which became the Michiana News, from which she retired in 1990 after 20 years. After retirement, she pursued her gifts of drawing and painting. Many of her pictures were of animals, especially cats, and also scenic & religious pictures. Betty is survived by her special friends Pam Quigley of Coloma, Tim (Susan) Quigley of Addison, IL, Martha Darling of Coloma, and the entire Quigley Family. She was preceded in death by her mother and step-father Margaret & Ralph Rozinska, and by her best friend Lois Quigley on November 15, 2003.