Elizabeth Lou Subcleff

Elizabeth “Betty” Lou Subcleff, age 96, passed peacefully on October 22, 2020 in Edmonds, Washington. Betty is preceded in death by her husband of 75 years, Andrew, who passed on July 4, 2020. Betty was born November 8, 1923 in Whiteside County, Illinois, to Harry and Grace (Dornbush) Husmann. She grew up on the family farm located on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, along with her older sister Dorothy and younger brother John. She graduated from Erie High School in 1941. The critical shortage of nurses during WWII inspired Betty to join the United States Nursing Corps training program at Jane Lamb Memorial Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. During her nurses training, she met Andrew (“Andy”) Subcleff, a handsome Merchant Mariner, who was in the hospital for a hernia operation. They married on July 20, 1945. Two weeks later, he headed back to sea. Betty earned her Nursing Degree on September 12, 1945. After the end of WWII, Andy and Betty moved to a boarding house in downtown Seattle. Betty worked as a Registered Nurse at Maynard Hospital, and Andy worked for Alaska Steamship Company. In 1947, they moved to a two acre parcel of land in Edmonds with a one bedroom house with no electricity (for two years!) and an outhouse. Betty’s younger years on the Illinois farm prepared her for the rugged living conditions of the Pacific Northwest. In 1951, the first of four kids was born, and Betty chose to stay home full time. As a sailor’s wife, she amazed everyone with her quiet strength to handle so many responsibilities on her own while Andy worked at sea (sometimes for months at a time): raising the family, keeping the chickens in line, growing/canning fruits and vegetables, baking breads and pies, and working on the house and garden. In 1966, Betty convinced her sister Dorothy, visiting from California, to stand in line and get tickets for their oldest kids to attend The Beatles concert at Seattle Center’s Coliseum, which created lasting memories and bragging rights for those wide-eyed teens: Doug, Andrea, Dan, and Laurie. For nearly 50 years, Betty and Andy were active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, participating in Samaritans, Quilters, and Bible studies. In 1979, when she and Andy moved to Alaska, they continued their faithful service and volunteering with Faith Lutheran Church in Homer, until his retirement in 1987, when they returned to Edmonds. Most recently, Betty and Andy were members of Maple Park Lutheran Church. Betty and Andy lived independently in their own home until well into their 90’s. They enjoyed going to the Senior Center in Edmonds, the Driftwood Players theater productions, and the Cascade Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, they moved to Sunrise of Edmonds and soon became known as the lovely couple that were always seen holding hands. Betty was known as a gentle and kind soul, with a backbone of strength and resilience. She enjoyed a sense of adventure, from travels abroad to the Holy Land to walks at Brackett’s Landing beach in search of sea glass. Most of all, she maintained personal relationships with nearly everyone she touched in her life. Despite moving to assisted living, Betty kept sending out hand written birthday, anniversary, and holiday cards to friends and family for as long as she was able to. Betty is survived by her four children: Doug (wife Amy), Andrea, Ralph (wife Erin), Carl (wife Sandy); eight grandchildren: Tina, Tanya (husband Diego), Amanda, Kristofer, Shaeffer (wife Claire), Jackson, Isaac, and Eliza; and two great grandchildren: Harrison “Sonny” and Amaya. She is also survived by her sister Dorothy Muhs, in addition to her many nieces, nephews, and extended family. A private funeral service will be held at Beck’s Tribute Center in Edmonds on November 8th, with a graveside committal service at Edmonds Memorial Cemetery on November 12th. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Betty’s memory to Lutheran World Relief (https://lwr.org), an organization to which Betty donated many beautiful, handmade quilts over the years. Another suggested charity is The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research (https://www.alzinfo.org).