Betty Jane (Savage) Deck, 93, returned to her Lord on December 11, 2019, in Bakersfield, CA after a valiant battle with a long illness. Her devotion to her family and her firm belief in God supported her in her struggle and ultimately gave her peace.
She was born on May 29, 1926 in Keighley, Kansas to Clare and Edna (Nichols) Savage. She was number five of eleven siblings raised during the great depression. She was preceded in death by her husband Clayton Max Deck, daughter, Donna Ray (Horton) Smith and great-grandson, Matthew Michael Zielsdorf. She was a devoted mother, president of the PTA, and during World War II packed artillery shells to help in the war effort. One of her proudest accomplishments was establishing and managing the Zenith Credit Union in Springfield, Mo. Never one to sit idle, on the weekends she would travel with her husband across the Midwest selling Hallmark items, Coca Cola memorabilia, toy trains, and jewelry.
She was a faithful longtime member of the Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri where she was the president of the Senior Seconds and a devoted member of the Harmony class. When her health started to wane, she moved to California to be close to her grandchildren but that did not stop her from quickly adopting the Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, California as her new church home. At Valley Baptist, she was an active member of the Friends Widow Luncheon, the Fruit of the Spirit Life Group and the Quilt ministry. She, along with her fellow quilters, would tie knots while saying a prayer for the quilt's recipient.
Betty leaves behind a strong and loving family, who will carry on her legacy. Son-in-law, Gary Smith and four grandchildren: Micheal (wife Doris), Kelly Zielsdorf (husband Eric), Nancy Vickery (husband Greg), and Brian (wife Heather); and three step-grandchildren; Kathryn Kirksey (husband Jay), Liz Watts (husband Phillip) and Chris Deck (wife Stacey). She was blessed with 13 great-grandchildren: Jeremy, Tyler, Laura and Daniella Smith; Leslie Oney (partner Alex), Jimmy (wife Hannah), and Joey Zielsdorf; Brian Jr., Chandler, Cameron, Caitlin and Hailey Smith; and four step-great-grandchildren: Tanner, Emma Gooch (husband Aric), Drew and Grace Kirksey. And her seven great-great-grandchildren: Avendia, Ethan, Nova, Elijah, Keaton, Brinley, and Dallas.
Service will be held 1:00 pm. Saturday, December 28, 2019 at Greenlawn Funeral Home East with visitation at 12:00 p.m. prior to the service. Burial will follow the service at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. Flowers can be sent to Greenlawn Funeral Home East.