Thelma "Dede" Betlejewski

Gracious, kindhearted, and genuine in her love and concern for others, Thelma Dede Betlejewski was a blessing in the lives of all who were within her reach. A woman of faith, she was never one to worry about the things of this world, rather, her focus was on living life to the fullest while holding her loved ones near. It was easy to see Thelmas devotion to her family, and there was nothing that made her happier than being a grandmother to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Life was not without times of trial for her, but she faced whatever came her way with strength that was deeply rooted in her unwavering faith coupled with the love of her family. Life will never be the same without Thelma here, but her timeless legacy will be carried on by those who follow in her footsteps. Life during the 1930s was anything but easy as the Great Depression covered our nation and much of the world like a wet blanket throughout the entire decade. Jobs were hard to come by, countless American families eventually lost their homes, and things only went from bad to worse when a crippling drought covered our nations heartland for nearly two years. Despite the challenges around them, Clarence and Dorothy (Ellery) Hall were filled with great joy as they welcomed a baby girl into their hearts and home on May 19, 1938, in Manton, Michigan. The second of five children in her family, Thelma D. spent her earliest years in the Manton and Cadillac area where her father worked as a carpenter for the Chris-Craft boat company to support the family. The Hall family, including her sisters, Beatrice Bunny, and Susan Cookie, and her brothers, Ed and Pete, moved to Muskegon when she was 12. They settled into a house on Beattie Road in Dalton Township, and Thelma attended North Muskegon Public Schools. She never really did care much for school as taking tests made her so very nervous. As a family, the Halls attended Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church which is where Thelma, or Dede as she was often known, met the man of her dreams. His name was Ronald Betlejewski, and his family also attended services there. They started dating, fell in love, and were married on July 6, 1957, at the church. As a young woman Thelma worked at the dime store in downtown Muskegon, but as a young newlywed she worked as a secretary at Shaw Walker until she became pregnant. Together she and Ron were blessed with the births of four children including Dorothy in 1959, Steve in 1960, Mary in 1963, and Joseph in 1964. After working all week, Ron spent the weekends building the family a small one bedroom house on the land next door to Thelmas parents home on Beattie Road. As the years went by, he expanded the house and eventually converted the original one bedroom section of the home into the garage. It was easy to see that Thelma loved being a mom and raising her kids. She especially loved to bake, and for many years she baked dozens of loaves of bread and cinnamon rolls on Saturdays. In fact, Thelma even sold some of her baked goods to friends and neighbors, using that extra money to pay for a family vacation to Mt. Rushmore one year. There were also memorable family vacations to Niagara Falls and Cedar Point. The family enjoyed the simpler things in life, too, like a Sunday afternoon drive in the pick-up truck with the kids in lawn chairs in the back and then a picnic in the woods by the river. As a family, they attended Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church together, always sitting in the front row on Sunday mornings. Eager to serve, Thelma was active in the altar guild. For many years, she also washed and cleaned all the altar cloths and linens. All who knew Thelma would agree that she was certainly one of a kind. She was very creative and crafty as she enjoyed keeping busy with various projects. Thelma liked sewing and crocheting, flower arranging, and plastic canvas needlepoint with yarn, often making things with her own designs. She used many of these skills to help decorate the church for its annual spaghetti dinner for nearly 40 years with Ron and the kids often helping, too.Thelma absolutely loved being a grandma and spending time with the grandchildren became a favorite activity. Her grandson, Zack, spent many days at grandmas house playing in the backyard pool with neighborhood kids and friends. Christmas was always a special time for Thelmas grandkids as she always gave them money, but she wrapped the money in inventive and creative ways. It was such an adventure for them to find their present. Thelma even liked to creatively wrap and give her son-in-law, Art, a chunk of coal every Christmas, too. During their retirement years, Thelma and Ron continued to be faithful members at church. They also took a couple of road trips to California and Texas to visit their children, however, they primarily enjoyed being at home. Sundays still found them regularly taking their afternoon drive around the West Michigan area to try dinner at different places. Over the years, Thelma had her share of health issues including several battles with cancer that was treated with chemotherapy. She also had back surgery, which left her using a walker, and she also had a hip replaced. Through it all, it was always her faith and her family that helped her get back on her feet. Eventually, the years took their toll. With unending devotion to her family and friends, Thelma Betlejewski was truly beautiful on the inside and out. She lived to nurture and care for her family, and as grandmothers go, she was simply the best. Life was not always easy, but Thelmas faith remained strong while her joy for living remained evident to all who were near. She will be deeply missed, but she leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that her loved ones will forever cherish. Thelma D. "Dede" Betlejewski died on Tuesday, October 6, 2015. Thelmas family includes her husband, Ronald; children, Dorothy (Carl) Woodrum of Muskegon, Steve (Karen) Betlejewski of CA, Mary (Art) Puls of Hastings, Joseph (Barbara) Betlejewski of Jenison; grandchildren, Zack, Joe, Dan, Tom, Brandy, Carisa, Ashley and Wade; great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Jeramiah, Jade, Lorelai, Briar Rose, Austin and Lillianna; brothers, Clarence "Ed" (Kathy) Hall & Pete (Jackie) Hall; sister, Beatrice "Bunny" (Owen) Koehler; many nieces & nephews. Thelma was preceded in death by her sister, Susan "Cookie" Brueck. A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015, 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church with Fr. Matthew Barnum officiating. Memorials can be made to Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.