Betty H. Ingwerson

Betty H. Ingwerson, 98, of Silver Lake, Kansas, and formerly of Bern, Kansas, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Betty was born on January 30, 1928, in Bern, Kansas, and was the tenth child born to John Joseph and Louise Mae (Hertzig) Hatch. She was raised north of Bern by her father after losing her mother at age three. Betty attended Eagle Star Country School through the seventh grade and graduated from Bern High School in 1946.

Betty was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, Harold Gene Ingwerson, on July 29, 1946, in Hiawatha, Kansas. To their union, two children were born, James Lee and Theresa Joan.

The couple began their life together farming north of Bern on the state line. Betty held many jobs over the years, from Perkins Grocery Store to the Campbell Soup Factory, before entering key punch school in Topeka, Kansas. She held several jobs as a key punch/data entry operator before retiring from the State of Kansas Department of Labor after 24 years of service.

Her most consistent role was as a farmer’s wife, helping her husband fix fences, run the books, and handle anything else necessary. However, her true love was traveling. Betty was always ready for another delightful adventure. Beyond her family, her most significant achievements included walking the Alaskan glacier with her sisters, Helen and Marie, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia at 89 years of age, viewing New York City from the Statue of Liberty, journeying through the vast landscapes of Russia, soaking up the sun and beauty of Hawaii, collecting 67 pounds of beads at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and exploring penguin habitats in South America and the Falkland Islands.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harold, in 2013; her son, James, in 2021; her sisters, Marie Habegger, Anne Ulmer, Mildred Myers, Helen Hatch, Olive Moser, and Rose Mary Geweke; and her brothers, Richard, Robert, Oscar, and Delbert.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Theresa (Ron) Wetzel of Silver Lake, Kansas; her three grandchildren, Gene (Kristin) Ingwerson of Rossville, Kansas, Ilara Wetzel of St. Thomas, USVI, and Cauitta Wetzel of Louisville, Nebraska; her eight great-grandchildren, Ashley (Bruce) Atkins of Olathe, Kansas, Austin (Megan) Ingwerson and Jarrett Ingwerson both of Rossville, Kansas, Riley (Kelsey) Ringgold, Chase (Maya) Ringgold, and Tucker (Katie) Ringgold all of Topeka, Kansas, and Cammy Robeson and Diesel Robeson both of Louisville, Nebraska; her ten great-great-grandchildren, Josephine Robinson, Lorelai Ingwerson, Rhett, Milo, and Fletcher Ringgold, Rydr and Rowen Ringgold, Elena Castello, and Oliver and Audrey Ringgold; her daughter-in-law, Mary Ingwerson of Rossville, Kansas; her two brothers-in-law, Darrell (Bev) Ingwerson and Herman Spreer, Jr.; and her many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Popkess Mortuary in Sabetha, Kansas. A visitation will be held on Monday, May 4, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Popkess Mortuary. The interment will be made in the Bern Cemetery in Bern, Kansas. Memorial contributions are suggested to a fund yet to be designated by the family, and sent in care of Popkess Mortuary, 823 Virginia Street, Sabetha, Kansas 66534.