John and Betty
A Grace-filled Couple
It is obvious to anyone who knows them that John & Betty are more than just husband and wife; they are the best of friends. One often sees them out together – shopping at the Mall, or walking to church on a Sunday morning. I spent a pleasant afternoon with them recently. John poured tea into lovely china cups, and we sampled Betty’s delicate home-baked butter tarts. “John’s a square-shooter!” she said. “He’s very honest and he’s been a blessing to me!” I could tell that the feeling was mutual.
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Grace found me at mother’s knee
John was born April 6, 1912 in England. Sound Christian teaching and high moral values were instilled into him from earliest childhood on. It was at his mother’s knee that he learned to pray and trust the Lord. At Sunday School he memorized many Scripture verses and sang, “JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW; FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!” John was baptized in the Anglican church. At age 15 he went to live with his grandfather and got a job at a nearby farm. When news came that his mother had passed away, he was devastated. It saddens him to this day. “It’s too bad my Mom had to die so young – she was only 49. . .”
In those years the Canadian government gave British citizens incentive to emigrate to Canada free of charge through a 5,000 FAMILY SETTLEMENT SCHEME. In 1929 John, with his father and siblings, seized the opportunity and moved to British Columbia. “It was a hard time; but I worked on farms around the Fraser Valley for $1 a day and board.” In 1939 he married Mabel, and they raised two sons together, Larry and Gary. “People didn’t think the marriage would last – she was too young, and I had no job; but it did. We were together for over 49 years!”
After five years in the Air Force and another five working for a furniture company in Vancouver, John gladly accepted a job he was offered at a sawmill in Midway, BC. He worked there until his retirement in 1977. Then he and Mabel moved to Ghalliger Lake, where they lived for some years. She passed away in 1988.
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A strong heritage of Grace
Betty was born into a godly home in Waskada, Manitoba, September 24, 1924. “I was very loved in my childhood; very sheltered.” In the 1930s her family moved onto a farm where they weathered the Great Depression. “My dad paid $1.00 down and so much per month for that farm;” and he supplemented his income by driving school bus every year. When Betty was grown, she took a job as short order cook near the city of Brandon. Then in 1949 she married Claude, a young soldier. They settled in Kelowna BC and raised a daughter, Beryl and a son, Steve. Both children were a joy; and both accepted Jesus as Saviour at an early age. Claude worked as a taxicab driver; and Betty as a cook and “jack of all trades” at a Rest Home. Claude’s parents, living right next door, were a big help when the children were little. Betty worked very hard at her job for the next 20 years. At retirement, she and Claude moved to a little place in the community of Joe Rich, towards Midway. When Claude came down with cancer, she took care of him at home until he passed away in 1988. What a comfort, to know that he had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour three days before he died.
Over the years these two couples had become very close, their two families had often visited back and forth. It was only natural, then, that John and Betty found comfort in one another’s company, both their spouses having passed away in the same year. It seemed right for them to get married, which they did a year later in 1989. This September they will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary.
Saving Grace – Healing Grace
Found Only in One Place
Jesus Christ
John and Betty have a gentle understanding of one another. Not only do they share the love and loss of their first partners; but they both know the anguish of losing a child. John’s son, Gary (33), disappeared one day, and it wasn’t until four anxious years later that they found out what had happened to him. He had drowned in the Thompson river. His skeletal remains had been found by a fisherman. Betty’s son, Steve (29), committed suicide. For a number of years he had suffered from schizophrenia, an emotionally debilitating sickness. A neighbour found his body lying by a nearby creek. “That was hard to take!” said Betty; “But I know that Steve belonged to Jesus!It was through Steve’s death that I really came to know the Lord . . . when I lost my Steve . . . that’s when I was born again.”
Betty was baptized in 1983, and has been living for Jesus ever since. “You know, Jesus is my Source, no matter what happens! And the Scripture that has been so close to me is Isaiah 26:3 – THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE; BECAUSE HE TRUSTETH IN THEE.”
John is trusting the Lord for Salvation, too. Now, at age 90, he knows that the blessings and prayers of his mother have followed him all his life. She gave him a beautiful hand-scripted poem when he was only nine years old. He has treasured it ever since. Very carefully, very tenderly, he unfolded the paper and read:
“Trust Him to hear you when you call.
Trust Him to raise you when you fall.
Trust Him to bless you day by day;
Trust Him to lead you all the way.
Trust Him to bear your every care;
Trust Him your joy and grief to share.
Trust Him your daily need to know;
Trust Him because He loves you so!”
March 2002
© 2002 SKM