Betty J. Opsal
ARMSTRONG — Betty Jane (Looft) Opsal, the daughter of Nicholas and Lizzie (Nissen) Looft, was born July 26, 1926, in Grant Township (Swea City) and departed this life on March 13, 2025, at the age of 98 in Clive, Iowa. She was the youngest of five children with four older brothers. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 18, at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Armstrong, Iowa, with Vicar Kim Kacmarynski officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Betty will be laid to rest at Armstrong Grove Cemetery in Armstrong, Iowa.
She attended the Armstrong Community School and graduated in 1944. She then went on to Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls for two years, graduating in 1946. She taught school in Rolfe and Swea City and later substituted in the Armstrong school. In 1967, she became an aide and later a secretary for the elementary school principal until her retirement in 1985.
On Aug. 15, 1948, Betty Looft and Effner Opsal were married at Nazareth Lutheran Church, where they remained as members throughout their lives. They were married for 71 years.
She participated in NLCW, Leah Circle, and various Bible studies, taught Sunday school, and was the Sunday school secretary. She also served on the Armstrong Library Board.
Over the years, Betty enjoyed golf, bridge, bowling, Wednesday study club, sewing club, quilt group, THO, Gull Lake family vacations, and winters in Arizona. Effner and Betty were part of a New Year’s Eve gang that gathered together each year for about 50 years. A fun fact about her high school days was that she scored 60 points in a game, a record that stood for decades.
Betty loved Jesus and her church community. She deeply loved and was very proud of her sons, their wives, and her grandchildren. Effner and Betty were very blessed with full, long lives and good health. Betty was always able to maintain a positive, upbeat attitude over the many years, even during periods when life was tough due to the deaths of family and close friends.
She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Left to cherish her memory are two sons Steve (Sherry) and Mark (Sue); five grandchildren Jeff (Nikki), Greg (Katie), Dan (Lisa), Stephanie (Sean) Hearn and Andy; nine great grandchildren Reed, Trey, Laney, Eli, Leah, Jack, Brody, Risette and Yuna; two sisters-in-law, Dona Opsal and Cheryl Opsal, many nieces and nephews, and special friend Kim Stinson.
Proceeding her in death were her parents, four brothers and their wives Howard (Verneice), Randall (Harriet), Leon (Deloris) and Bob (Marylin); Effner’s parents Olai and Mildred Opsal; brothers-in-law Leroy Opsal and Lyndon Opsal; sister-in-law Muriel (Melvin) Brown; nephew William Looft and nieces Salli Harmon and Karen Saftner.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.henryolsonfuneral.com. Henry Olson Funeral Home of Armstrong is assisting the family with arrangements.
COMMENTS
[vivafbcomment]