Mrs. Betty Thaden Beken's Obituary
Betty Jane Thaden Beken was born in Perry, Oklahoma on August 28, 1923 to Ude and Kathryn Thaden. Betty was the oldest of 4 children. Her parents moved from Oklahoma to Texas in the 1930s and Betty graduated Bay City High School in May 1941. After graduation, she worked for 6 months as a secretary for a Bay City Law Firm. Then she joined the Civil Service, boarded a train and went to work in Washington, D.C. for the United States Department of Commerce as a Clerk. The years she spent there, as an independent woman sharing an apartment with Millie Harrison, were the source of some of her best stories. She left Washington, D.C. in 1945 returning to Bay City, Texas. In 1946, she left Bay City for work in Houston. Again, she was an independent woman living in the Huffmeister Rooming House on Allison Street in Houston. She felt more opportunity existed for her parents and younger siblings in the Houston area and in 1948 was able to facilitate their move to Pasadena. Once her family was settled, they began attending First Lutheran Church in Pasadena. And it was there while visiting on an August Sunday in 1949, that Betty met her future husband, Owen Beken. Married just a few months later in April 1950, they began their life together in an apartment in Houston. Soon Owen had built a house for them in the Deer Park area and they moved in 1951. Katherine was born in 1953 and Karen in 1955. Her life centered on her husband, her girls and her church. She was resourceful and taught herself to preserve the produce that Owen harvested from the large garden he cultivated each year. She also enjoyed sewing and made many of the clothes that her daughters wore throughout their school years. Her family continued to attend First Lutheran Church and she was active in the Women of the Church. She also taught Vacation Bible School and Sunday School. She and Owen had shared interests one being "the Farm" near Anderson, Texas and another being a love for travel. They were able to visit Canada, Mexico, Ireland, England, France, Germany and every state with the exception of Idaho. Throughout the years, Betty has enjoyed several hobbies, crochet being at the top of the list. Counted cross stitch was another favorite. Reading, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles were always an interest of hers.
Betty is preceded in death by her parents, her brother John Thaden, and her husband of 43 years, Owen. She will be missed by her sister Mary Louise Coker and husband James; her brother James Thaden and wife Marsha; daughters Katherine and Karen; granddaughters Jennifer Sanders and husband Kenny, Carolyn Wallace and husband John, and Melanie Dahse; great-grandchildren Thaden and Owen Sanders and Jocelyn Wallace; numerous nieces and nephews and her church family.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Peace Lutheran Church Building Fund, 6435 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena, TX 77505.
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