Betty Thornburg

Betty Thornburg, 89, of Winterset, died June 4, 2011 at the Madison County Health Care System in Winterset. A visitation will be held from 1 to 8 pm, Tuesday, June 7 at Ochiltree Funeral Service & Aftercare in Winterset where the family will be present to receive friends from 6 to 8 pm. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am, June 8 at Ochiltree Funeral Service. Burial will be in the Winterset Cemetery and memorials may be directed to the Activity Fund at Winterset Care Center South. On-line condolences may be made to the family at www.ochiltree.com. Betty Helen Schirner was born in Swan, Iowa on January 22, 1922, the daughter of Bud and Ruth (Heberline) Schirner. Betty was raised by her grandparents Ira and Carolyne Benge. She attended school at Pleasantville and later married Raymond Everett Thornburg in 1937. Her family moved to Madison County in the 1950’s and she moved into Winterset from the country in 1971. Betty was a homemaker for a major portion of her life but after Raymond died in 1971 she began working as a Health Care Aid with Earlham Home Health Care for many years, retiring when she was 72. She truly enjoyed helping others and her work as a home health care aid allowed her to fulfill this part of her personality. She was not one to join many groups but rather found great enjoyment from spending time with her children and her grandchildren. You could say that family was her focus in life. She enjoyed making quilts for her family, watching NASCAR races and listening to music, especially Blue Grass. Betty is survived by her children, Norma Cooper of Winterset; Kathy (Donnie Sr.) Faux of St. Charles; David (Mary) Thornburg of Winterset; Jennie (Larry) Wilson of Des Moines; Judy (Ron) Groetken of Grimes; Ruth (Tom) Tyer of Winterset. She is also survived by an adopted grandson, Danny (Lynette) Thornburg of Des Moines; siblings, Katherine Schirner of Winterset; Ancil (Barb) Denzler of Houston, TX and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Raymond in 1971; siblings, Elsie Croy, Silas Schirner; and two grandchildren, Bobby Cooper and Amber Grogan.