Betty Mae Crouse

Betty Mae Crouse, formerly of St. Joseph, MI, and a resident of Naples, FL for the past 23 years, passed away Monday evening, February 11, 2008. She was 88 years old. Friends may call from 3:00 to 5:00 PM Friday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Services will be at 5:00 PM Friday, February 15, 2008, at the funeral home with Rev. Dr. John Munson officiating. Entombment will be at North Shore Memory Gardens. Memorials may be made to Fairplain Presbyterian Church. Friends wishing to send a condolence message online may do so in the guest book at www.starks-menchinger.com Betty was born in Gettysburg, PA on Christmas day, 1919 to John and Bertha (Myers) Shealer. She married John M. Crouse on December 13, 1942 in the Army Air Corps chapel at Randolph Field Texas. John, a retired vice president of Whirlpool Corporation, preceded her in death in February 2005. Betty, a graduate of Gettysburg High School, grew up in the town of Gettysburg, where her father served as county sheriff during the early years of her life. Her ancestors were among the first settlers of Adams County, PA, the earliest having settled there in the 1740s. Family traditions include many stories of what life was like during the Battle of Gettysburg. Her grandmother, Eleanora Shealer, was present during Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and clearly remembered the event until the day she died at age 100. John and Betty Crouse moved to Michigan in 1951 and were active members of their community. They were among the founding members of the Fairplain Presbyterian Church, where Betty was ordained a deacon in 1960, and an elder in 1970. They became residents of Naples, FL when John retired in 1983. Survivors include son John and daughter-in-law Maureen Abele Crouse of Beaver Island, MI, son Robert and daughter-in-law Sherry Crouse of LaGrange, KY, and daughter Elizabeth Erickson of Coldwater, MI; grandchildren Geoffrey Crouse of Naples, FL, Jennifer Crouse of Grand Haven, MI, Laurel Erickson Walkup and Logan Erickson of Coldwater, MI, and Jamie Lynn Crouse of LaGrange, KY; great grandchildren Tristan and Isabella Crouse of Arcadia, FL, and Rylan Walkup of Coldwater Mi. Betty is also survived by Mary Jane Crouse of Grand Haven, MI, Linda Crouse of Louisville, KY, and James Erickson of Coldwater, MI.