Betty Olson Held

Betty Held, great grandmother, grandmother, wife, mother, sister and friend, was born in Mason City, Iowa, on September 4, 1936, and died on August 24, 2025. Her parents were Sylvan Olson and Evangeline Olson (nee Rasmussen). She had an older brother, Leroy, and a younger sister, Marie.

She is survived by her husband, Byron Held, her two children David and Charles, and their children and grandchildren.

She attended primary school in a one room schoolhouse near Forest City, Iowa, and high school in Forest City and Mason City, Iowa. She attended Mason City Junior College, and later University of Iowa, earning a BA in Education.

She taught school in Muscatine, Clear Lake and Charles City, Iowa. Later, she taught people studying for their G.E.D. at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC).

Living much of her life in Charles City, Iowa, she was very active in the community, volunteering for University Women, Meals on Wheels, 19th Amendment Society (Carrie Chapman Catt - who was instrumental in obtaining women's suffrage).

She attended the International Year of Women, in Beijing, China, well before travel to China was common.

She had a love for animals and had a steady stream of critters cycling through her house, including cats, dogs, a chicken, a night hawk, and the occasional turtle.

She moved to Longview, Washington, in 2007, and began volunteering for Meals on Wheels.

She was a voracious reader, and an anglophile, amassing an impressive magazine collection related to the British Royal family. She had a sweet tooth, and excelled at making desserts, especially pies, cakes and Christmas cookies.

A memorial service will be held at Longview United Methodist Church on September 3rd at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, anyone so inclined is encouraged to donate to the Humane Society of Southwest Washington.