Betty Reitz

Betty Shawver Reitz was born to Karl and Ella Horton Shawver on December 18, 1918 in Paola, Kansas. Upon graduating from Paola High School she was educated at the University of Kansas, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta.  It was there that she met the love of her life, Harry Reitz, to whom she was happily married for 75 years.

Betty was a wonderful and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She was a gracious, gentle, caring, welcoming and generous lady.  She devoted thousands of hours of volunteer work for the Mattie Rhodes program and Research Hospital in Kansas City.  She was noted for her dry wit and homemade brownies and cookies with which she entertained her guests, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Betty was a member of Village Presbyterian Church in Kansas City for over 50 years.  In 2006 she and Harry moved to Eudora to be near their family.  She joined Holy Family Catholic Church in 2011 and enjoyed the caring friends she met there.

Betty was preceded in death by a daughter, Jane Ann, her parents and brother.  She is survived by her truly devoted husband, Harry, of Brandon Woods in Lawrence, her son and daughter-in-law Joe and Nancy Reitz of Eudora, five grandchildren, David, Chris, Elizabeth, Stephanie and Cathleen, their spouses, and twelve great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate her life will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church in Eudora at 10AM, today, Wednesday, June 26.  Burial to follow at the Holy Family Cemetery.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations in her name to Family Promise of Lawrence, PO Box 266, Lawrence, KS  66044.