Betsy Payne

Betsy Payne, 81, of New Brighton, died Thursday, December 12th at Sterling Estates in New Brighton.  Her funeral will be (Time change) 1:00 pm, Friday, December 20th at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar with burial in Fairview Cemetery in Raymond.  www.hafh.org

Betsy’s sister Adele beautifully captured Betsy’s life and character: 

“Betsy’s life was an expression of her strength and caring and gratefulness.  The harder her life got, the harder she tried.  She worked at being pleasant and grateful and thankful, and making the people that were around her, happy.  She tried her best to have a positive impact on those around her.   She focused on the positive things.  She was a strong, caring person, and made every effort to be considerate, thankful and cheerful.  She exhibited a life of ‘taking what you have and making it better’.”

Betsy’s sister Shirley expressed what we all feel deeply inside about Betsy’s passing:

            “I can’t feel sad; she got to go home for Christmas!”

Betsy loved Jesus, and she spent her whole life singing gospel songs and telling others how much she loved Jesus.  She even wrote and published several gospel songs.

Betsy was born on July 4, 1943, in Onamia, Minnesota, to Ed and Anna Carlson, in the home her father built.   She was named ‘Betsy Rose’ in honor of Betsy Ross, the American Revolutionary War hero.

Her older brother Mack, and sisters Shirley and Adele, were outside in the yard when she was born.   When they came in they saw a baby in a shoebox on the sewing machine!   (That was the same sewing machine that all her nieces and nephews enjoyed seeing in the piano room, when visiting grandpa and grandma in Onamia.)

Betsy loved to sing from an early age.  When she was 4, the family went to the schoolhouse and Betsy sang for the Christmas program.   The schoolhouse didn’t have electricity yet, so it was lit with lanterns.   There was a little stage with a Christmas tree.  Betsy wasn’t scared to go up and sing.  She always loved music.

Betsy began taking music lessons.   She would play by ear, and it wasn’t long before the teacher said “I can’t teach you anymore; you do so much by yourself!” In high school, when her older sister Shirley was 15, she played piano for Betsy, when Betsy sang at the school program.  

One year, when Betsy was in high school and working in the Cities, she was coming home on the greyhound bus, and the bus went off the road and crashed.  Fortunately, it stopped just before going into the creek.   Several passengers, including Betsy, were injured but thankfully Betsy fully recovered.

In high school, Betsy stayed busy working in Staples, Minnesota, and she finished her high school there.   She met Bill Payne in Staples.  They started dating and soon were planning a wedding.   Betsy and Bill were married in 1963 in the old Alliance Church in Onamia.  They had their reception in the basement of the old Lutheran Church nearby.

Betsy and Bill started their life together in St. Paul, with a big white dog named Dusty.  Betsy continued in her love of music, and would play guitar and sing.   Betsy and Bill would sing and play together at nursing homes, bringing music and joy to people in the homes.

A few years later, they sold their home in St. Paul and moved to a house in White Bear Lake.   Bill worked for the railroad, and loved baseball and hockey.  Their niece Ruthie remembers staying with them for a couple of weeks during high school.  Ruthie, Auntie Betsy and Uncle Bill “just hung out, had tea, and sang.   I played some softball with Uncle Bill.”

Bill passed away in 1993.   To keep busy, Betsy worked at different places in White Bear Lake.  She took swimming lessons to keep herself distracted.  She never complained.  Her nephew Tim remembers stopping by her house in White Bear Lake for tea, when he was going to Bethel College.  They always had a wonderful time.  Auntie Betsy always had a cheerful and positive attitude and always had cats in the house; she loved cats!

Betsy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the late 90s.   She stayed for awhile in her own home, until she was unable to care for herself.  She then stayed with her brother and sister-in-law Mack and Beverly in Raymond Minnesota.

Betsy then found a wonderful adult care home in New Brighton.  The staff at the home became like family.   Linda, Nancy, Mercy, and Irene took amazing care of her as she became weaker though the years.  In return, Betsy shared with them her love of music, singing her songs night and day.   She was so thankful for all they did for her, and expressed that to them, and also to her nephew Tim many times when he would visit or talk on the phone.   In spite of her physical constraints, while her body became weaker her spirit became stronger.  Her love for Jesus, gratitude for what she had, and thankful spirit toward others, never weakened.   

Betsy sang all night those last couple nights before she slipped into unconsciousness.  Linda said that when Betsy passed, her face had a “glow.” 

Betsy lived her life to the fullest, loving God and loving people right to the end.   She set an example for us all, not to let circumstances dictate how we live our lives and act toward others, but instead to always be thankful, and always spread God’s love and joy to those around us.  

We will miss you, Betsy and Auntie Betsy, but we are so glad you are now free to go for walks, and you can run and sing with your loved ones you’ve joined in Heaven; your Mom and Dad, Bill, your brother and sister-in-law Mack and Bev, your nieces and nephew Sharlene, Cherri and Lon, and many others.     And we know this is truly a wonderful Christmas for you, as you meet Jesus face to face and thank Him for his Christmas gift.

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