Tribute

Elizabeth Carol Arendt was born on December 21, 1948, in Rabbit Lake, SK to Martin and Louise Arendt. The fourth of what would eventually be 11 children, Betty spent her first years on a farm in Glenbush, SK and spoke German as her mother tongue. When she was five, the family moved to North Battleford, where she started school in English.

During a visit to Ranger Lake Bible Camp at age 10 Betty gave her life to the Lord. Betty spent the next year memorizing hundreds of Bible verses so she could attend the Bible camp for free. Another significant milestone in her spiritual life happened during a youth meeting in Meadow Lake where Betty recited a poem called “The Harvest and the Tempest” that she had memorized. She surrendered to “even being a pastor’s wife or a missionary” if God called her to this.

In 1966, Betty graduated from high school and was baptized on July 10th. She accepted an invitation from her friend, Irene, to work with her at the Swedish Canadian Rest Home in Burnaby, BC. She began attending Capital Hill (later Brentwood Park) Alliance Church, where she met a young man named Harold Klassen in the youth group. They began going together and then both attended Canadian Bible College in Regina where they graduated April 1970. Betty and Harold were married August 15, 1970, in North Battleford.

They spent the next year in Fort Nelson, BC before going to Simon Fraser University where Harold completed his studies. In 1974, their first child Nathanael was born. After Harold graduated from SFU in 1975, they moved to Midale, SK where Harold taught in the local high school. Their second son Martyn was born in January 1977.

In the summer of 1977, Betty and Harold moved to Germany to serve at the Black Forest Academy, a Christian school that serves the children of missionaries. The first year Betty and Harold were dorm parents to a group of teenage girls. The following years, Betty focused on raising her growing family. Their first daughter Carol was born in November 1980, and the last child Cynthia Joy in January 1983.

Betty provided for her family through cooking and baking, making and mending clothes, keeping a garden, and making doughnuts every Thursday for the school community. She enjoyed walks and bike rides in the beautiful Black Forest area. After her children all graduated and left home, Betty served as a receptionist in the Black Forest Academy office.

In 2011, after 34 years in Germany, Betty and Harold moved back to Canada and settled in Abbotsford, BC. Here Betty found new friends though the Living Hope class at Central Heights Church and amongst the fellow residents of Central Heights Manor.

She continued to garden at the CHC community garden. She always had at least one book on the go. She was an avid puzzler, and the table often was covered in jigsaw puzzle pieces. Her use of technology was limited, but she kept in touch with friends and family by email and enjoyed playing Solitaire on her computer. Solving Sudoku puzzles was another activity she enjoyed. Betty found biking routes she enjoyed and put on many thousands of kilometers. She also enjoyed walking and was regularly doing 15,000 steps per day.

At the end of Feb 2024, a checkup for a slight pain led to a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.  All of Betty’s children and a couple grandchildren were able to come and spend a few weeks with her. Betty received great care in the ARHCC Palliative Care Unit and the Holmberg House Hospice, where on April 29, 2024, she finished her race.

Betty was predeceased by her parents, her sister Arlene, her brother Alfred, brothers-in-law Arthur Bartlet, Eugene Klysko, and Kim Summach, and nephews Timothy Bartlett and Levi Krogsgaard.

She is survived by her husband Harold; her children and grandchildren, Nathanael, Martyn, Carol & Allan Dowdeswell and their children, Elise, Miles, Niko, and Marie, and Joy & Jon deTombe and their children, William, David, Annie, and Edmund; her siblings Ruth Bartlett, Hedy Klysko, Lorna (Brian) Krogsgaard, Bernie (Gloria) Arendt, Ray (Linda) Arendt, Rosalyn (Jacob) Martens, Myrna (John) Zwarich, and Wayne (Kim) Arendt; her siblings-in-law Dorothy Arendt, Margaret Miller, Marian Summach, Norman (Rose) Klassen, Herb (Heather) Klassen, and David Klassen; and many nieces and nephews.