Bettyann Ward

Bettyann Ward, age 83, of Little Falls, MN, passed away Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at the home of her daughter in Sauk Centre, MN. A Memorial Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service in Little Falls with visitation from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. A private burial will take place at a later date. Bettyann was born on December 2, 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota the daughter of Victor & Hilda (Sallman) Benson. She grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Patrick Henry High School. She was united in marriage to Carl Buer in 1948 and they had four children, Sandra, Christine, Douglas, and Richard. The couple later divorced. In 1964, she married Keith Ward and they had two children, Carla and Elizabeth. The couple moved to Finlayson in the early 1970's. Keith died in 2008 and Bettyann moved to Little Falls in 2009. Bettyann worked at a number of places including Federal Cartridge, Daytons, Northrup King and then retired from Grand Casino, Hinckley. She enjoyed quilting, crocheting, crossword and word-find puzzles, reading and attending to her flowers. She also volunteered at the Little Falls Senior Center making the weekly donuts. She would personally deliver a couple dozen to the Morrison County Sheriff's Department and became known as "The Donut Lady". One of her greatest pastimes was shopping through mail order catalogs for gifts to give to friends and family. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Sandy (Mike) Hamerski of Castro Valley, CA, Chris (Bill) Olson of Brooklyn Park, MN, Doug (Yasuko) Buer of Yokohama, Japan, Carla (Jerry) Pederson of St. Francis, MN, Beth (Don) Schmidt of Sauk Centre, MN; daughter-in-law, Genie Buer of Perham, MN; brother, Clint Benson of Andover, MN; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Bettyann was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Keith; son, Rick Buer; infant daughter; brother, Lee (Dee) Benson and sister-in-law, Rosemary Benson. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. Michael's Hospice in Sauk Centre, MN.