Betty Lou Thraen Rooker, 84, resident of Ripley, departed this life Sunday evening November 24, 2019 at her residence following an extended illness.
Visitation will be Wednesday, November 27 from 8 AM to 10 AM and funeral services cherishing the life of Mrs. Rooker will begin at 10 AM in The Heritage Chapel of Ripley Funeral Home with Bro. Carlos Langston and Bro. Trey South officiating. A graveside service will follow in the Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.
Betty was born March 20, 1935 in Iona, MN, the daughter of the late Joseph and Mary Kellen Thraen. She was a 1953 graduate of St. Columbia Catholic School in Iona and was married December 19, 1953 to her beloved husband, Andrew "Jack" Rooker who preceded her in death on October 9, 2003.
Mr. and Mrs. Rooker were members of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Ripley and she was employed as deli manager for Griffins Supermarket in Ripley for 15 years before retiring.
Raised on a farm and blessed with a large loving family, Mrs. Rooker loved the rural way of life. She enjoyed canning, gardening, chickens and goats. Bird watching, puzzles, games that included dominos and cards were favorite pasttimes.
Mrs. Rooker will be remembered by many as a volunteer with the local Good Samaritan Center. She was devoted to her family, to her church and to her community.
Memories will be shared by her children, Gayla Miller (Michael) of Bluffton, SC, Jane King of Ottawa, IL, Lori Donlevy of Memphis and Andy Rooker (Jennifer) of Oswego, IL, three sisters, Eva Anderson of Sioux Falls, SD, Dorothy Sturges of Slayton, MN and Sister Alice Thraen of Rochester, MN, two brothers, Jim Thraen of Morris, MN and Rex Thraen of Phoenix, AZ, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by a son, Joe Rooker and eight brothers and sisters.
The family request that memorials be directed to St. Jude, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Billy Graham Center, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201
The Ripley Funeral Home is honored to serve the Rooker family and invites you to share memories.
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