Betty Bergstrom

Mar 23, 1927 -

Mar 1, 2021

Betty Ann Bergstrom, age 93, died peacefully in Anchorage, on March 1, 2021. She was born on a small farm in northern Minnesota, the youngest of six siblings. After she was severely burnt in a cooking accident, she was allowed to be the "tomboy" of the family, helping her dad and brothers to bundle grain and milk cows. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class. She married Carl Bergstrom, and they resided in Colorado, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with their three children, before moving to Spenard, where she remained for 50 years. After becoming a single parent, she worked to support her children. After retiring as a cook at the flight kitchen, she worked as an elementary school cook and a coat-checker at Captain Cook and served as a voter precinct worker.

Betty was a devout Catholic, and traveled to the Vatican and attended mass with Pope Paul VI. She volunteered for many church related functions, working at the Bishop's Attic and One More Time. She made her famous jams and caramel popcorn for the church bazaar until COVID-19 cancelled the fund raiser. She was a successful seller of Fur Rondy pins for her club even during COVID-19.

Betty had strong circles of friends: they enriched her life and she enriched theirs. She loved her family and enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren. While Betty experienced several physical ailments over her final decade, her mind remained sharp. She loved to play cards, read books, complete crossword puzzles, watch Jeopardy and cook meals. Her daughter moved in with Betty to provide companionship over the past three years.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; siblings; ex-husband; granddaughter, Jayme; and numerous lifelong friends. She is survived by her children, Carla, Dan (Betty), Thor (Jacoline); grandchildren, Tyler, Hannah (Brett), Daniel, Kyra; and great-granddaughter, Marlowe.

Mass of Remembrance will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Anchorage. All applicable COVID-19 mitigations, social distancing and masking will be required. Her remains will be placed at the family site in Minnesota at a later date. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Janssen Funeral Homes Inc.