Betsey was a daughter, a mother, a sister, a grandma, a friend, a teacher, and partner. She was a steward of the earth, a visionary, a creative, a woman with a soul that ran deep with love, generosity, tenderness, kindness and a lot of spice, fire and attitude! Betsey was always ahead of her time, advocating and pushing forward in every aspect of her life.
Betsey leaves behind 4 adult children- Rebecca, Peter, Alex and Aaron, as well as dozens of family members and friends who miss her daily.
Betsey founded and kept alive a “passion project” called Learning from Scratch which she ran with help from friends and supporters for over 26 years.
This non-profit business pushed her forward towards her end goal of service, stewardship and transforming what one may see as refuse landfill candidates into something usable and beautiful. She served companies by taking goods that would’ve gone in the landfill or incinerator and upcycled them for a greater common good. She upcycled hundreds of thousands of pounds of one person’s ‘Trash” into many people’s “treasures”. Her passionate calling kept her busy as a bee in service distributing these resources to educators, local artisans and people in need. She saw possibility and opportunity in everyday items as well as industrial refuse that could be reimaged and reused for good. Her nonprofit was and continues to be a legacy in which Betsey changed the world.
She was extremely proud of her work and efforts to change the world, which she did. Her passion, drive, creativity and humor provided the impetus for her work. Her sensitivity and love for the environment, her cultivating and celebrating the creativity in others, and her never-ending thoughtfulness-for students, family, suppliers, customers and friends-these traits made Betsey who she was. The word indefatigable is best used to describe Betsey- meaning tireless, unremitting in labor and showing persistent effort.
Betsey found peace and met our Heavenly Father on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
“Don’t weep at my grave, for I am not there, I’ve a date with a butterfly to dance in the air. I’ll be singing in the sunshine, wild and free, playing tag with the wind, while I’m waiting for thee.”
Celebration of Betsey’s Life will be held Friday, October 24, 2025, at Cascade Christian Church Chapel, 2829 Thornapple River Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 at 4pm with dinner to follow.
One Response
Was so sorry to hear about Betsey’s passing. Praying for her family and friends. She was always a kind lady.