Memorial
Betty (Kehne) Barger, 99, died April 7, 2017, at Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories in Cedar Rapids. She would have been 100 years old April 30, 2017. Memorials may be directed to Spurgeon Manor or the charity of your choice in Betty’s memory.
Betty was born to Robert and Lottie (Sleight) Kehne in the “farm-like” home her grandfather built in 1885. The house remains in the family to this day. The house was once on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids, but the neighborhoods soon surrounded it and with that came many neighborhood friends. When Betty was growing up, the property included eight acres to explore and enjoy as a young child. Although her father had a full-time job in town, he also tended to their dairy cow, horse, chickens, ducks and pigs and large garden. They also had fruit trees. Although Betty lived through the Great Depression, the family always had enough to eat and always welcomed guests thanks to the food available on the property.
Betty graduated from Washington Senior High School and attended Coe College for one year. In 1940 she married her high school sweetheart M.E. “Bill” Barger. Early in their marriage, Bill was hired as a civilian to train military pilots for WWII. While he was in training, they lived in Chanute, KS, and Hemet, CA. When the war ended, Bill applied to United Airlines and spent the rest of his career flying out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Betty and Bill took advantage of their flight benefits and traveled extensively. They also enjoyed a summer home on a lake in southern Wisconsin, where guests were always welcome. When she wasn’t entertaining family or friends, Betty was busy with some sewing project - a true passion. She made things for herself and daughter, things for the house, and of course, many gifts.
A Wisconsin friend once said of her, “Some people collect things, Betty Barger collects people.” Throughout her life she continually made new friends without forgetting the old. She was fun, loving and selfless, always wanting to do for others.
Betty is survived by daughter Kathy (Dan) McGowan, Waukee, IA; granddaughters Caroline, Mindy and Missy; many beloved nieces and nephews and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Bill, brothers Dade and Robert, sister Louise.
Thank you to the staffs of Spurgeon Manor and the Panora office of St. Croix Hospice for the wonderful care during Betty’s last years and days of her life.