Obituary of Betty Clark

Elizabeth Anne Clark (nee Walpole) was born on November 16, 1946.” Betty” earned the nickname “soupbox” from her father, William George Walpole (d.2014) and Mother, Amelia May Walpole (nee Yeoman d.2019). When they were building the home that Betty would grow up in, they placed her in a soupbox as her first little bed. She would eventually have two brothers and three sisters join her & her parents, in that little green & white house outside of Owen Sound. That’s where Betty, Mary, Nancy (d.2016), Bill, Patty (d.2012) and Tom got up to all sorts of childhood imaginings in the forests and cliffs that surrounded them.

She was born at a time when children still attend a one room schoolhouse down the road. Through her teen years, it’s said that she was inherently shy. But she had a passion for roller skating so that opened up her social standing… and it would lead to meeting the outgoing Ted Clark (Lloyd Edward), the love of her life and husband. She was the first to leave the little house her parents continued to live in for nearly 70 years. Betty married in 1964 and stayed married to Ted for 55 years, until his death in 2020.

Ted was undoubtedly Betty’s biggest adventure.  “Teddy Bear” and Betty Boop” as they called each other, would create two children together, David (Rachel) and Corrie, They shared a somewhat nomadic life that saw them move from Owen Sound to Mississauga to Calgary, Banff, back to Ontario and eventually settling in the idyllic small western town of Strathmore, AB.

In her younger years, Betty made all her children’s clothes. She loved ceramics, making stained glass windows, wallpapering & painting, decorating houses and enjoyed the trials and tales of growing up with her children, but …maybe not when they were teens! She graduated as an RNA (Registered Nursing Assistant) and worked her early years in Nursing Homes.

She was a good fishing buddy, who hated cleaning them and never ate fish, but caught fish bigger than herself at times. She ran a store at a recreation camp, volunteered for local community centres and held many good Stampede breakfasts for the neighbours in Calgary. She never met a church sale or garage sale she didn’t like and had a real passion for collectibles & jewelry at a good price.  After her kids left home, Betty returned to school in 1987 for accounting and enjoyed working at Primco & British Petroleum. (BP) She also worked in retail & grocery where she greatly enjoyed the social aspect. She loved her little home and the community of Ranchview Estates in Strathmore and lived there comfortably for a year after Ted passed. She had a full life, perhaps many lives in one… as life with Betty and Ted was never dull or boring.

Betty and Ted are also survived by five loving grandchildren, Evelyn and Amelia (David and Jennifer) and Julia, Lillie and Bailea (Corrie). Betty loved her “girls” and enjoyed crafting imaginative and precious gifts for them. She loved reading them stories, having cuddles and knitting unique things, like lovely Barbie outfits, baby coats, slippers & mittens. It was Betty’s way of showing great love and warmth. She was a grandma with a sense of humour, a delightful dash of sarcasm and was always willing to give advice… especially on matters of the heart. Betty was a lifelong romantic. For years she was an avid reader, consuming classic love tales written by the likes of the Brontë’s. She loved to escape in those stories and when she shifted to television and the many Hallmark or Korean love dramas, she was like a pop culture encyclopedia, knowing all the ins & outs of all the actors, their stories and delicious gossip. Watching a love story while indulging in chocolate, a bag of chips and a Pepsi, was a pretty nice evening for her.

Betty was blessed with the most striking Walpole blue eyes, the softest skin and a bright, genuine smile. She was feisty, but kind, gentle and loving. She is the kind of woman you will sorely miss because she would always listen, was always there when you needed her, had a pocket full of opinions to share and above all, loved you unconditionally. 

If she had any regrets, she would say with a wink, that she missed attending a 1960’s Beatles concert in favour of a date with Ted.

 

She lived a full life where she was in a place of love and peace… and her last words were a very perfect, “I love you”.

 

We love you, too…Mom, Grandma, Betts, Betty Boop, sister and Friend. X.