Betty Erikson (née Randolph), passed away Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the age of 96, in the loving presence of family. Betty was born in Joplin, Mo. on Jan. 22, 1928, to Franklin and Marie Randolph.

As early as 5, Betty sang with her father on a weekly radio show. Thus began a music career that spanned a lifetime. She majored in music education at Pittsburg State University, where she met Glen. They married and found their way to Great Bend where her career as a performer and teacher grew. Many students in her home studio as well as at Barton Community College benefited from her skills. She performed regionally in classical programs and musical theatre. Betty spent years singing in and directing the choir at the First United Methodist Church. The church choir is where she found friends and fellowship into her late 80’s. 

Betty was the mother of five children who grew up in Great Bend, Lou Ann, Karole (Jay Miller), Phyllis (Tom Coyne), Gayle (Jack Laney), and Richard (Kelly Miller). She was the grandmother of 10 grandchildren. Betty and Glen welcomed their “adopted” son Joep Everts (Esther) who came into the family as a cultural exchange student from the Netherlands in 1983. 

Betty and Glen celebrated 60 years of married life before Glen’s passing in 2010. Their later years were full of travel and Panther football games. Until the end of life, everyone around Betty marveled at her ability to play any song or Methodist hymn upon request.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, June 1, in Great Bend, time and place to be announced later. If you wish to honor her memory, a music scholarship has been established at Barton Community College. You may donate at: bartonccfoundation.org. Choose “Donate Today”. Complete the Donation Form with “Betty Erikson” in the Memorial Field. 

Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Feb. 3, 2024