Betty Lou Seeley (born Culver)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: March 31, 1931
Date of Death: March 9, 2015
Birth Place: Rochester, IN
Death Place: Indianapolis, IN
Marriage
Spouse: Richard Seeley
Betty Lou Seeley Mar. 31, 1931 – Mar. 9, 2015
MISHAWAKA – Betty passed on to heaven Monday afternoon at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. Her passing was due to aspiration pneumonia which was the result of complications from a stroke she had suffered three years prior. Betty, with her daughter, moved to Indianapolis two months ago where Betty was very happy. Before this, she was a lifelong resident of the Michiana area. Betty was born in Rochester, IN, in the home of her grandparents. She went to school in Mishawaka and is part of the 1949 graduating class. Betty’s longtime home was Osceola. When Betty passed, her children and grandchildren were at her bedside. Betty had been on Heartland Hospice care for over a year, both in Osceola and in Indianapolis. The family thanks them here for their compassion and support.
Betty worked as a bookkeeper at Transpo, retiring after 40 years of service. Her retirement gave her time to do what she loved most, Philanthropy! She was a Chairperson for the wheelchair basketball team, The River City Rollers. Betty’s son Randy was an active member of the team. Together, with the help of the Rollers, Betty’s basketball benefits raised money for many things such as Hanna House (a home for unwed Mothers), The Reins of Life, and a benefit for Haiti which allowed 50,000 babies to be protected from Malaria with the purchase of mosquito nets. She also helped many people in the community who were ill and had exorbitant medical bills. Betty did many other selfless things. For example, she donated her birthdays to the Hope Rescue Center, Michigan street residents. She cooked their (her) birthday dinner, baked their cakes and gave them gifts of warm socks, hats, gloves etc. To accomplish these amazing acts, she called on the help of many community members, such as Mishawaka Alumni and Baskets in Banks, along with her friends and family. No one could say “no” to Betty! Friends, such as Red Williams and Leroy Potts, would fill LeRoy’s limousine with toilet paper for Hanna House. When she would be out collecting she’d say, “Now remember, money is paper too.” She gave the girls of Hanna House many baby showers and supplied them with Paper products for over ten years. Betty was a one-woman dynamo. On Thanksgiving Mornings, Betty would take her grandchildren to the Hope Rescue Center where they would prepare meals and deliver them to the elderly and sick shut-ins. Her children and grandchildren don’t have the societal tradition of the Macy’s Day Parade, instead, their tradition is called life, which Betty always lived while spreading sunshine where there was only gray. Betty had been in the Sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha since the mid-60s, holding every office including presidency. Betty and E.S.A. had a strong calling for St. Jude’s Hospital, where there is even a wing named after them. Betty always said, “There are no strangers, only friends you’ve yet to meet,” she walked this talk by including every would-be stranger in her family holidays and celebrations. Betty bringing someone home to get a shower and a meal was a commonality in her household. Betty also loved to cook and write. Eventually she combined these two with a cooking article in the Penny Saver which she named, “Stir the Pot” with the motto, “Love to cook, cook for those you love.” She and her late husband also owned Seeley’s catering for over 20 years. In addition to all of this, Betty was also a licensed Auctioneer, with her first sale a success…a bedpan! Betty was a volunteer for the Penn Harris Madison School Corporation where she tutored young children. In addition, Betty was a volunteer for SAFE. Many a night she could be seen putting on her shoes at three in the morning to go rescue a young girl and take her to safety. I think this little write-up will give you a glimpse into the heart of our mom Betty, but to tell it all would take the entire newspaper. We Love You Mom.
Betty was preceded in death by her Spouse, Richard Seeley, Parents, Geraldine Wanitha Nelson and Pat C. Culver, her brother, Bob Culver, her granddaughter, Jasmine Landsberg, and her son, Randy Lee Landsberg. Surviving Betty with Great Sadness, but Mom alive in their hearts, are her children, Lori Landsberg of South Bend, Ricky (Shelley) Landsberg of Mishawaka, Rebecca (Mark) McClure of Arizona and Shelly Switalski (Bob) Gross of Indianapolis. Betty left behind 7 grandchildren, Amelia (Mike) Smith Landsberg of Mishawaka, Adam (Melanie) Gross of Indianapolis, Jennifer (Steve) Fielder of Mishawaka, Nicholas McClure of Arizona, Zachary Gross of Indianapolis, Kelsey Landsberg of South Bend and Alicia Landsberg Wilbourn of South Bend. Also surviving Betty are her beloved great-grandchildren, Michaela, Rydan, Mercedes, Stevie, and Addison.
Visitation with the family will be at Bubb’s, 3910 N. Main St., Mishawaka, on Monday March 16th, 11:00-4:00. The funeral service will follow the visitation at Bubb’s and will begin at 4:00 the same day. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Betty’s name to Heartland Hospice of South Bend or St. Jude’s Hospital.
Published in South Bend Tribune on March 13, 2015
