BETTY J. DIX

Betty J. Dix, of Devils Lake, ND formerly of Cando, ND passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013 at Altru Hospital, Grand Forks, ND. She was 84. Mass of the Resurrection for Betty will be held on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Devils Lake. Fr. C.F. Wilhelm will celebrate the Mass and she will be laid to rest beside her husband Peter in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Cando, ND. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Tuesday from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Scripture Service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation on Wednesday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral Mass. Serving as Casket Bearers for Betty will be Craig Dix, Dan Ralston, Darren Ralston, Dana Ralston, Christopher Dix, and Dick Horner. Jeff Lahr will be an honorary Casket Bearer. Music will be provided by Darren Ralston, vocalist and guitarist and Audrey Myklebust, organist. Elizabeth Jane, daughter of John B. and Abbie (Herda) Deplazes was born on August 18, 1929 in Devils Lake, ND. She was a year old when her family moved to Hurricane Lake Township. She began her high school years at St. Mary’s Academy in Devils Lake. Betty was 15 when her mother passed away, so she left school and returned to the farm to help care for her younger sister and two brothers. Betty was united in marriage to Peter R. Dix on July 25, 1949 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cando, ND. They established their home in Cando and Betty worked for a time at Stony Atkins Oil and Massey Ferguson Dealership as their bookkeeper. She then began a long career working at the First State Bank of Cando working there for over 26 years until retiring. Peter passed away on November 15, 2006. Betty continued to make Cando her home until moving to Devils Lake in July of 2011. She was an active member of Sacred Heart Church, serving on the Parish Council and also serving as president of the Altar Society and in many other capacities through the years. She volunteered and served as president of the Hospital Auxiliary and enjoyed many fun years of membership in bowling leagues. Betty had a very creative and artistic side. She created many beautiful pieces of needlework including embroidery and crocheting. Her talent also extended to water color and oil paintings of landscapes and flowers. She created these works of art on many surfaces including canvas, saw blades and wheel discs. Whenever she could sneak away for a weekend of fun, she would take the kids camping and fishing. She made many trips to Virginia to visit with her daughter and family. International travel was to Switzerland with her sister to visit relatives and get a sense of their heritage. The source of Betty’s enthusiasm for life, her unconditional love and the twinkle in her eye was because of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, who were her pride and joy, her reason to smile, even on the difficult days. Faith in God and family carried her through earthly life and will carry her to her eternal home. Rest in peace dearest mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Betty is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Debra and Dan Ralston of Stuarts Draft, Virginia and son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Gale Dix of Devils Lake; grandchildren, Darren (Michelle) Ralston, Staunton, VA, Dana (Angie) Ralston, Hudson, WI and Deanne Ralston, Richmond, VA and Nicole (James) Villa, Plant City, FL and SSG Christopher (Taylor) Dix, Topeka, KS; great grandchildren, Ian, Ellie and Abby Ralston, Walter and Peter Ralston, Miles Dix; sister and brother-in-law, Eileen and Everett Lahr, Bottineau, ND and brothers and sisters-in-law, John and Barbara Deplazes, Silver City, NM, Philip and Judy Deplazes, Cando and Mary Jane (Dix) Bolte, Minneapolis and her very dear friend, Jeannie Westby of Cando. She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter, a daughter in infancy and her parents.