Betty Edenson

Betty Jeanne Edenson, 95, of Bettendorf, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, November 1, 2020 at her home in Bettendorf.

A Memorial Mass to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 18, 2021 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bettendorf.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the Mass at the church on Friday.  Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church or to a charity of the Donor’s choice.

Betty was born on March 1, 1925 to Howard and Marie Plessy Carl. She grew up in Muscatine and graduated from the Catholic school at St Mathias. She was joined by two brothers and two sisters.   In 1948, she married Edward John Edenson and moved to Bettendorf where their children Jeanne and Dean were born. They later divorced. The Carl siblings would gather every Sunday at their parents’ house (known to all as Cap and Gram) and have a great time visiting. In later years, her specialty, corn pudding, was a required dish at family gatherings.

She worked very hard all her life to provide for her children. After working all day, she would sew for people late into the night. Betty was an excellent seamstress and created many beautiful clothes. She retired in 1998 from Iowa-American Water Co where she was an executive secretary at the age of 72.

Retiring gave Betty more time to travel the world with her sisters, Pat and Marilyn, and niece, Anne. She made annual trips to California to visit her daughter, Jeanne. A highlight trip was going to Austria and Switzerland to celebrate her 90th birthday with daughter, Jeanne, and friend, Ally. Her trips to see her son, Dean, wife, Amy, and granddaughters, Sophie, Kate and Annabel in Pennsylvania brought her great joy. She was a big part of the Carroll Women's Weekend. a multi-generational celebration held every summer since 1994. Betty was a great supporter of the arts, enjoying concerts, theatre and museums. She was always ready to explore new music and places.

A woman of strong faith, Betty was an active member of our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church after she moved to Bettendorf. One of her favorite duties was ironing the alter linens. She also enjoyed attending daily mass at St Anthony's in Davenport.

One of the hardest life events she had to overcome was the tragic loss of her daughter, Jeanne, in a car accident in 2016. She found great comfort in her grief support group and the church.

Betty loved to walk every day and enjoyed taking Pilates and Zumba classes at area churches.

Even though she loved to travel, she also enjoyed spending time at home taking care of her yard. One of her great regrets was giving up mowing her lawn at the age of 93! Her neighbors and friends helped looking after her and the house, taking over duties so she could remain in her home. She was very grateful for all their help. As she became frailer, her niece, Anne moved in to help also. Her many doctors helped ensure a long and active life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter, Jeanne, her sisters, Pat, Marilyn, and Mary Ellen in infancy, and brothers, Robert and William. In addition to Dean and his family in Pennsylvania, she is survived by many Carroll and Carl nieces and nephews and their children.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Betty’s obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.