Betty Pickard

CUYAHOGA FALLS - Betty Pickard, age 97, died peacefully with family by her side on Thursday, June 21 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Betty was the loving wife of Dale Pickard for 69 years. She was born in Grand River, Ohio in 1921. She leaves behind her son Kim Pickard and his wife, Ellen Hanick of Newburyport, Massachusetts and her daughter Penny Mann and her husband Richard of Cuyahoga Falls.

She graduated from Painesville High School in 1938. After which she was employed as a legal secretary in a Painesville legal office for several years. During World War II, she was a draftsperson at Addressograph Multigraph in Euclid, Ohio. While there, her future mother-in-law encouraged her to "write a boy overseas" as was common. The multi-year correspondence with Dale in the South Pacific blossomed into love and they were married several months after he returned home from the war.

Betty was active in her children's school activities including Cub Scout leader, and member of several organizations. She was a devoted member of several churches as she and Dale relocated several times.She was an avid reader and kept up to date on national and world events. Early on she collected ceramic cows, later she collected glass birds. Later in life she became a sports fan, watching and cheering for the Indians and the Cavaliers. Upon Dale's retirement, they travelled extensively throughout the United States, wintering for many years in the southwest and Florida.

Betty was particularly devoted to her grandchildren Carla Pickard, Jill Peabody (Scott Egan) of Massachusetts and Sean Pickard (Justine McGreevy) of Seattle, Washington, Paul Mann (Melissa) of Cuyahoga Falls and Kris Mann (Mike Thompson) of Streetsboro. She doted on her five great-grandchildren, Sylar and Daphne Mann of Cuyahoga Falls, Calvin Peabody, and Kyle and Ava Cardone of Massachusetts, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Interment and a graveside service will be held at 11:00 am, Monday, July 2 at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, Rittman. The family thanks all of the wonderful, caring, staff of the Gardens of Western Reserve in Cuyahoga Falls and Great Lakes Hospice for their loving care. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made to the Arthritis Foundation of Ohio, www.arthritis.org/ohio/ <http://www.arthritis.org/ohio/>. Services entrusted to Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home and Crematory, 330-928-2147.