Betty Larson

** VIDEO TRIBUTE CAN BE VIEWED BELOW ** Betty Larson, age 80 of Rapid City and formerly Belle Fourche & Colony WY, died Friday April 14, 2017 at the Hospice House in Rapid City. The funeral service will be held 10am Thursday, April 20th, 2017 at the United Methodist Church in Belle Fourche. Visitation will take place one hour before the service at the church. Interment will take place 12:30pm Thursday, at Black Hills National Cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the Hospice House in Rapid City. Funeral arrangements are with Leverington Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. Betty Lou Hendrickson was born November 18, 1936 in Belle Fourche. She was the daughter of Art and Edith (Bellon) Hendrickson. Betty grew up in the Arpan/Nisland area where she attended country school. In 1955 she graduated from the Belle Fourche High School. She was united in marriage to Dean Larson on March 23, 1956 in Rockville, Maryland while Dean was on leave from the Army. Following their marriage, Betty followed him to Germany where she lived for a period of time by herself. She was just 19 years old. In 1958 Dean and Betty made their home on a ranch near Colony Wyoming, where they lived for many years. In 1981 they moved into Belle Fourche and later retired to Silver City in 1989. Dean and Betty loved their retirement years in Silver City. Dean died in 2011 and that same year, Betty moved to Rapid City where she has lived since. Betty was a kind, loving, and caring woman who also had a great sense of humor. She was an avid football fan and she loved birds, especially cardinals. She worked hard and was a wonderful mother and grandmother. She had a great memory, especially when it came to remembering everybody’s birthday; she never forgot one. Betty will be missed greatly by her family and friends. Betty is survived by her children: Deb (Dan) Bestgen of Rapid City, LaWayne Larson of Rapid City, Stuart (Mary) Larson of Lusk WY, Sheri (Jeremy) Christiansen of Fairbury NE; 8 grandchildren; 2 great granddaughters; and brother, Wayne (Lorraine) Hendrickson of Gillette WY. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Becky Hendrickson of Belle Fourche, and Mary (Wayne) Wolff of Colony, WY. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dean; infant daughter, Wanda Lee; 3 brothers, Don, Bud, Norm; and sister, Dot Vaughn.     Celebration of Life 10-:00 A.M. – Thursday – April 20, 2017 United Methodist Church Belle Fourche, South Dakota   Officiant Pastor Doug Clark   Special Music “The Old Rugged Cross” Judy Howard, soloist “Holes in the Floor of Heaven” (Recording)   Casketbearers Dan Bestgen                                               Jeff Hendrickson Bruce Hendrickson                                Norman Hendrickson Keith Hendrickson                                                 Jim Wolff   Interment Black Hills National Cemetery Sturgis, South Dakota