March 10, 1921 - January 21, 2024
In Loving Memory ~
Elizabeth (Betty) Burtt-Chapman, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2024, at the age of 102 in Smithers, BC. She was born on March 10, 1921, to John (Jack) and Grace Burtt in Lake Buntzen, BC (near Vancouver).
Betty and her family moved several times during her childhood: to Smithers and Nukko Lake (near Prince George) in 1922 and 1923; to Vancouver Island shortly afterwards; to Chilliwack in 1928 where she started regular school (grade 2), to California for a short period between 1930 and 1931; back to Nukko Lake in the winter of 1932; and back to Vancouver Island to near Sydney, BC that summer where she spent the next 6 years.
She graduated high school in Sydney, BC in 1938 then started working for a telephone office. Betty learned how to play bagpipes in Sydney, and she played in a girl's pipe band there. In 1944, she moved to Smithers, BC where she started working for Hanson Lumber Co located on what is now called Railway Avenue, and eventually met and married Gordon Chapman in April 1946.
Betty and Gordon had four children and spent the next couple decades at the ranches on Tatlow Road where Betty tended to the cattle, horses, garden, and everything else required of a hard-working "ranch mother".
When the 1980s arrived, and her kids were grown, Betty went her own way moving to Prince George, BC. Between Prince George and Smithers, she dedicated much of her time to the church and often got together with her children and grandchildren.
Betty traveled to many places around the world over the next twenty years: China, Australia, the Caribbean, England. She returned to live in Smithers at the turn of the new millennium which also brought the arrival of great grandbabies.
The following 2 decades were filled with gatherings of all kinds (family, church, friends), gardening, tending to her home and fur-babies, trips to the Comox Valley, Alberta & Haida Gwaii, sewing, canning, picking berries, playing card games and much more.
Betty had a strong Christian faith and adventurous spirit. She dedicated many years of her life to God and her church. She was still driving her car at 102 years old! There was no one more generous and giving than Betty; she was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone that needed it.
Her green thumb was also second-to-none. Gardening was her passion. The raspberries, the peas... all the wonderous flowers and vegetables that she would grow. Betty was a true child of nature and of mother earth.
Betty is survived by her children: Lorna (Lloyd) Motz, David Chapman, Eileen (Bob) Storey; Grandchildren: Laura (Peter) Snape, George (Kathy) Storey, Lynne (David) Wade, Scott (Marzena) Motz, Bobbie Storey, Lindsey (Eric) Kowalchuk; Great Grandchildren: Joshua, Hanna, Jack (Snape); Andrew, Austin, Adam, Aimee (Motz), Dalin, Shae (Wade); June, Kendra (Storey); Abigail Kowalchuk; Emma Brackenhofer.
She is predeceased by Brother: Peter; Sister: Joyce; Son: Don; Granddaughter: Sheri.
The legacy that she leaves to us is her tremendous gift of faith, her tenacity, her independence, her grit, her strength, and her unwavering kindness.
The family would like to acknowledge The Meadows, the Home Support staff, Dr Kruithof and Dr Eustace for the remarkable care she received in her final days.
Condolences may be offered at www.schraderfuneralhome.ca