Parkland Funeral Home
6287 – 67A Street, Red Deer, AB, T4P 3V9
Phone: 403.340.4040 Fax: 403.343.3033

OBITUARY


OPSAL, Betty
1934 – 2015

Betty Lou Opsal of Red Deer, passed away peacefully with her family by her side, on Thursday October 15, 2015, at the Red Deer Regional Hospital, at the age of 81 years. Betty was born on March 31, 1934 in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. She grew up in her father’s lumber camp in the Cypress Hills. A little known fact was that this lumber camp was also a POW war camp, where German war prisoners were brought to Canada to work. While in high school, she lived in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan where she lied about her age and worked as a nurse’s aide to pay for her room and board. In 1950, she met Norman Opsal and they married in 1952. Four years later they moved to Calgary and two years after that they moved to a ranch south of Gadsby, Alberta. This is where she had her 2 sons, Tyler and Shane. During this time, she also worked at Johnson Connor Agencies in Stettler, along with her every day farm activities. In 1973 the family moved to a ranch at Tees, Alberta where they cleared the land and raised Limousin cattle. During this time she worked as the office manager at Chain Lakes Gas Coop and then later on at Burnt Lake Livestock Mart in Red Deer. In 2000, they moved off of the farm to Lacombe and then in 2002 it was off to Red Deer. During this time they enjoyed winter trips to Arizona and other destinations. Betty loved hard work, whether it was in the fields swathing or baling hay, feeding cattle, or picking rocks. She was famous for her cooking skills, especially her cinnamon buns and pies. She enjoyed sharing a funny joke, gardening, watching her two grandsons grow, but most of all, she loved looking after her husband, Norman. One of her greatest accomplishments, of which she was very proud, was the book she wrote on her family’s history and she made sure every descendent received a copy of it. Betty is lovingly remembered and dearly missed by her husband Norman of Red Deer; her two sons and daughter in laws: Tyler and (Nicola) of Calgary and Shane and (Doreen), of Whitecourt, Alberta and two grandsons, Dylan and Chase, both of Whitecourt, Alberta. Betty was predeceased by her parents, Albert (aka Abbie) and Sylvia Noble and two brothers, Cecil and Leslie Noble. An open house to share stories of Betty will be held at the Tees Hall on Sunday, November 1, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Betty’s memory can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, www.heartandstroke.ca. Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.parklandfuneralhome.com. Arrangements in care of Quinn Edwards, Funeral Director at Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium, 6287 – 67 A Street (Taylor Drive), Red Deer. 403.340.4040.