Betty Mae Vanosdall

Betty M. Vanosdall, 96, of Grand Island died Friday, May 12, 2023, at Tiffany Square. Funeral service will be 10:00 AM Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at Messiah Lutheran Church with Pastor Steven Peeler officiating. Burial will follow at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-7 PM Tuesday at Messiah Lutheran Church. Memorials are suggested to the Gideons or the Messiah Lutheran Church. Apfel Funeral Home is assisting the family. Online condolences may be directed to www.apfelfuneralhome.com.

Betty was born December 15, 1926, to William and Emma (Hamann) Horst. She grew up on the family farm northwest of Doniphan. She attended District 19 Country School. When Betty was 15 years old, she moved to Grand Island and worked for the Ulry Talbert Company for several years.

On October 6, 1946, Betty was united in marriage to Glenn Vanosdall at Messiah Lutheran Church. After which the couple lived in Milford, NE, where Glenn attended trade school. They moved back to Grand Island and Glenn started Van’s Electric Company. She worked in the office for 49 years and continued her education with courses in bookkeeping, typing, and computers.

Betty was a lifetime member of Messiah Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and a member of Woman of Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and Miriam Circle. She was a member of the Gideon International Auxiliary and served on the cabinet for 15 years and was on the Grand Island Food Pantry board. She led a jail ministry both at Hall County and Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, NE. She was a former member of the Phi Sigma Alpha Sorority.

She enjoyed sewing and crocheting afghans and made well over a 100 to give to family and friends. She had a passion for baking and was known for her peach pies, chocolate cookies, and fruit cakes. Her family enjoyed “the fruits” of her labor.

Survivors include her daughter: Julie (John) Doescher of Grand Island; grandchildren: Shawn Vanosdall, Scott Vanosdall, Holly Bohn; several great grandchildren; brother, Bill Horst; sister, Marge Thomssen; and daughter-in-law: Ann Vanosdall.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Glenn; son, Dennis Vanosdall; brother, Merle Horst; and sisters: Opal Steinbeck and Ellen Goerl.