Betty Lewis

Minot

Betty A. Lewis, Minot resident and an agent for New York Life Insurance Co. throughout her adult life joined Jesus for their tee time on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at Edgewood Vista Assisted Living in Minot.

She was born in Henderson, Texas, a daughter of Gloria F. (Pevey) Lewis Knutson. At an early age, she moved with her mother to Phoenix, Arizona. She attended her first years of school there before moving with her mother to Sherwood, North Dakota. She completed the fifth through eighth grades at Sherwood and spent the ninth grade at Sacred Heart Academy, a boarding school in Willow City. She returned to Sherwood for her sophomore year, and then moved to Minot. She attended St. Leo’s High School her last two years while working for Heinie Diamond’s Food Market.

She attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for a year. In 1955 she became employed in Minot by New York Life Insurance Co. She was trained as an agent for the company, and over the years, attended annual seminars that focused on both insurance and securities. The Board of Trustees of The American College of Life Underwriters admitted her as a Chartered Life Underwriter in 1974. She was a recipient of various other awards and honors during her long career with New York Life. She maintained an office in downtown Minot for many years, subsequently creating an office at her home in northwest Minot.

When she wasn’t selling insurance, she was playing golf, a sport she excelled in and was devoted to. She suffered withdrawal pains in 2011 when the Souris Valley Golf Course, her course of choice, went under water during the catastrophic flood of that year. She achieved three holes-in-one at the Souris links where she started playing in 1963, the year the first nine holes opened. Her golfing companions were young people, who joined her at daybreak for tee off time.

Wherever she vacationed and often on business trips, her golf clubs accompanied her. These trips included such well-known resorts as the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Mackinac Island, Michigan, and Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells, California. Her greatest thrill was the opportunity to play the famed Pebble Beach course at Monterey, California, as the guest of her godson and his wife, Steve and Sue Larson. She spent many memorable vacations with the couple in Portland, Oregon, Palm Springs, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

She was a Beaver Booster at Minot State University and played in that group’s tournaments with her special friends. Often she could be seen at the University Dome cheering on the women’s and men’s basketball teams. She also was a member of the President’s Club at the university. She served on the board of the Wee Links Golf Course in Minot, the only golf course built for children in North Dakota. She was a strong supporter of Bishop Ryan High School in Minot and established a scholarship there in her mother’s name. She was a member of St. Leo’s Parish, Minot.

Surviving are close friends Reed and Cori Argent and their children Paige, Gavin and Parker, Minot, ND, her godson and his wife, Steve and Sue Larson, Redmond, OR, several cousins and many close friends.

She was preceded in death by her mother, close friend, Alice McRaith and aunt, Bette Jean Briscoe, Palm Desert, CA.

A special thank you to all the staff at Edgewood for their companionship and care during her final years.

Mass of Christian Burial: Friday, September 22, 2023, at 2 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church.

Burial: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot.

Visitation: Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot.

Vigil Prayer Service: Thursday at 7 p.m. at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot.

Memorials are preferred to the Minot Catholic Schools Foundation at 316-11th Ave. NW, Minot 58703.

The service will be livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to the Thompson-Larson Funeral home website: www.thompsonlarson.com

Those wishing to sign the online register and share memories may access the online obituaries section at (www.thompsonlarson.com).

Published by The Minot Daily News, September 20, 2023.