Bette Schulte - Topeka KS
4/27/2027 - 7/1/2010

Bette Schulte passed away July 1, 2010, in Topeka, KS, at the age of 83. She was born in Lincoln, KS, on April 27, 1927, to Sam Jellison and Bertha (Gottberg) Jellison.

She is survived by: sons Terry Patrick Petterson and wife, Jamie, of Phenix City, AL, and Ron Schulte; daughters Linda Ann Harvey and husband, Michael, of Winfield, KS, Jan Hards and husband, Butch, of Topeka, Judy Fiala and husband, Terry, and Marty Helvey; 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Preceding her in death were her parents; spouse, Don Petterson; seven brothers: Teddy, Billy, Ray, Guy, Dave, Lex and Joe; two sisters: Mae Jellison and Lela Hoffman; and son, Neil Schulte.

Visitation on Monday, July 5, 2010, from 1:00 to 7:00 P.M. at Harrison Funeral Home, with family rosary following at 7:00 P.M. The VFW service will follow the rosary.

Service at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, July 6, 2010, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Beloit. Interment at Green Mound Cemetery, rural Mitchell County.

Memorials may be made to the Heart Association of Topeka.

My Momma

My momma was a beautiful woman inside and out. If you knew her then you were blessed. She could be silly, sassy and smart, all at the same time. She had a stubborn streak and I thank God for that, because during her life there were times when she needed to be stubborn to keep going. Her faith in Christ's salvation and the love of God was strong. She was a good and caring wife, a loving mother and a proud grandma and great grandma. She wasn't perfect, but she tried so hard to be what people needed her to be. She was a little thing but her heart was huge. Momma made friends wherever she went. While she was in the hospital during her last days the nurses came to love her. That's just how it was with Momma.

Momma was a twin. Her brother, Bill, was so special to her. We lost Bill last year but she still had the love and devotion of Bill's family and that brightened her life immensely. Momma has so many grandchildren and great grandchildren on both the Petterson and Shulte sides, and she adored them all. It was easy to adore her.

My momma enjoyed life. She loved to sing and boy, could she dance. Both of her husbands were great dancers and I'm pretty sure that wasn't just a coincidence. You could hear her singing and humming while she worked around the house. Old hymns were her favorite-like The Old Rugged Cross and I Walk Through the Garden. She was an artist and her beautiful oil paintings are hung with pride in many homes. She liked to sew and do many different kinds of crafts, often involving flowers. Speaking of flowers, she had a green thumb with flowers and she and my dad loved working in their huge garden. She shared her bounty with many people. I will always hold dear the memory of picking and freezing a freezer full of corn with my mom. She loved growing beautiful and strange things like different kinds of gourds and pumpkins. They just fascinated her.

My momma taught me how to cook. My daddy's mom taught her. Everything was from scratch and everything was delicious. She continued to cook for herself up to her final days and I've found many recipes cut out of publications that she wanted to try. She never quit being interested in trying something new.

Momma had a dog, Trinket, who was her special companion in the years she lived next door to us in Topeka. I often heard her just talking away to Trinket and honestly, I would not have been surprised to hear Trinket answer back. She worried about what would happen to Trinket after she passed but, Momma, I'm here to tell you she will be well cared for. She was an important part of your life, and for that we cherish her.

It's hard to say goodbye to my mom. I think we all took it for granted she would be here for us for a long time. I am so thankful she was my neighbor for nearly six years and I hope she knew how important she was to my life, to all of our lives. She was so looking forward to meeting her newest great-grandchildren, Hadee TaNeil Eloise Arnoldy and Janny Grace Billing. Janny Grace will be here in just a few days from China with her parents, Sam and Zhou You. I promised Mom she could be the first one to hold her when she arrives, but now I know that while I cuddle that little baby in my arms my momma will be looking down from heaven and holding her too.

Momma, we love you and we will always miss you, but I know you are being cared for by your Maker. I know you have shed the body that caused you so much pain, and your soul is free and where it is supposed to be. I think about you with your own momma and daddy and brothers and sisters, your husbands and friends who went before you. I think about you with John, my late husband, and I hope you two are having a good time together. He loved you so much. I hold on to the surety that I will be with you again, and we can be sassy and silly together. I'll always love you just as you have always loved me.

Jan