Elizabeth M. "Betty" Hanusa
December 28, 1931 - August 11, 2018
Obituary
MONONA/SUN PRAIRIE-Elizabeth Marie "Betty" Hanusa, age 86, of Sun Prairie, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018, at Hyland Crossing. She was born on Dec. 28, 1931, in Appleton, the daughter of Joseph and Lucille (Besaw) Schwalen. Betty worked as a Supervisor for Gibco Company, retiring in 1993. She volunteered at the Monona Senior Center for many years and was involved in the community in many ways, including working the polls each year. Betty had an artistic side and enjoyed quilting, which she gifted to many of her family members. She enjoyed her time traveling and going to Ho-Chunk to play the penny slots. To Betty, family was very important, and she organized a reunion with all of her sisters which became a yearly tradition. Elizabeth is survived by her daughters, Dianne M. (Ron) Heffron and Debra (Don) Price; sons, Joseph Witt; and Rodney (LuAnne) Witt; sisters, Mary Jane Duchnowski, Peggy (Tom) Grede, Evelyn (Don) Smrstick, Monica (Jack) Melberg and JoEllen (Jerry) Lemke; special friend, Pat Kruger; step-children, Steve (Luciana) Hanusa and Christine (Bill) Daleiden; grandchildren, Carissa (Mike) Anderson, Julie (Todd) Schmidt, Brandee Price, Kimberly (Aaron) Lindas, Jeremy (Leah) Witt, Trevor Heffron (Christi Marks), Seth Heffron, Erin (Cero) Hanusa, Megan (Phillip) Passamoni, Rachel (Daniel) Checolinski, Jason (Shanna) Hanusa, Andrew Daleiden and Alyssa Daleiden; 13 great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Alvin Witt; second husband, Robert Hanusa; sisters, Patricia Baxter and Dorothy Barker; step-child, Terry Hanusa; and grandchild, Tyler Heffron. Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Dr., Madison, at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, with Father Chad Droessler presiding. Burial will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Monday. Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin.
Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
608-221-5420
Events
Visitation
Mon Aug 20, 2018 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care - Madison • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
Service
Mon Aug 20, 2018 @ 11:00 AM CDT
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care - Madison • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
Photos
No photos of Elizabeth have been shared yet.
Memories
PG
Peggy Grede
Other •
And now my dear sister, I see that beautiful smile again and know you are finally home with Mom and Dad! I will always miss you and have a giant hole in my heart until we meet again. Go and dance now and be happy. Love you forever, Peggy
VJ
Verill Johnson
Other •
For those of us who knew and loved Betty, she will be remembered for her warm heart, vivacious personality and beautiful smile. My sister-in-law was a very loving and supportive wife to my brother Bob. Now she is finally at peace in heaven with her loved ones, and she will be dancing with Bob once again among the stars.
Since we can't attend her memorial service, I have sent pictures of Betty to Erin Hanusa to share with everyone. Prayers and hugs to all- Verill and David Johnson. (St. Louis, Mo.)
PK
Patrice Krienke
Other •
To one of my favorite Aunties: Your smile lit up a room here, now go and spread that smile throughout heaven. Love you always! Patrice
AD
Arlis Dailey
Other •
You will be missed, Betty. I enjoyed working with you and found you very dedicated and serious about your work. We met in 1978 and worked together until your retirement but then managed to keep in touch. You always had a smile and a story to tell.
DC
Diana Coffey
Other •
I don't know where Teri Kram ended up but we had a lot of fun teasing and working with Betty at Gibco. She also was "onto" David Burke whom she called a teddy bear. David and I saw her a few times after we moved away and we always remember her very fondly. We are a year behind in learning of her death (thanks, granddaughters, for posting on Facebook 7/10/19 a remembrance or we would not have gone looking for this obituary). With love, Diana Coffey