Memorial services for Elizabeth E. Underwood, 83, Lawrence, will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home & Crematory, with the Rev. Daniel Norwood officiating.
Mrs. Underwood died Monday, June 13, 2011, at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor.
She was born July 25, 1927, in Galesburg, Kan., the daughter of Homer N. and Estella Eccles Shaw.
Mrs. Underwood was the administrative assistant to the plant manager at Farmland Industries for over 40 years. She also volunteered with physical therapy for 20 years, and for the American Red Cross for over 30 years. She was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, and was a Paul Harris fellow with Rotary International.
She married Bill Underwood, and together they shared 42 years of marriage. He preceded her in death.
Survivors include two sons, Steve Kesler, Austin, Tex., and James R. Shreve, Lawrence; and two daughters, Karen Goforth-Walker, Tampa, Fla., and Estreya Kesler, Napa Valley, Calif.
The family will receive friends following the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to Boy Scout Troop #53, in care of the funeral home, 601 Ind., Lawrence, KS, 66044.
I did not know your mother, who sounds like she was a most wonderful and generous person, but I wanted to say that the picture you chose in the LJWorld for her obit is one of the most glamourous and lovely pictures I’ve seen.
What an amazing woman she must have been, I’m sorry I never met her.
My heartfelt condolences to all of you. She sounds like she touched so many people’s lives in the best of ways.
When my grandmother talked about loss of family she often chose the same phrase, “Almost more sadness than we can bear.” And that’s true today.
Last Monday as the news spread about Betty’s passing, several of us wondered aloud – and to each other – “How are we going to tell the boys?”
Troop 53 was connected with the Underwood family in a hundred ways and over the years, we’ve been happy to take shameless advantage of their help with the troop program. Not only did we benefit from their amazing camping hospitality, Betty was our honorary “Dutch Oven Dessert Competition” judge for years (she said it was a “tie” every time).
Just like Bill’s, Betty’s passing is a deep loss for all of us. All Betty’s Old Goat friends (she even loved our patrol name) appreciated her energy and wit, but we particularly admired the level of commitment she showed – to any task. Especially those she could make “fun” through her special brand of contagious enthusiasm.
She and Bill remain the only Troop 53 parents to have received the official (and unique) Troop 53 neckerchief for their service, and we’ll deeply miss Betty’s presence at our annual chili feed.
Troop 53 has seldom dealt with this kind of loss, so we’re neither experienced nor wise in knowing what to say and when. While waiting for the words to come, we’ll keep the family close in our hearts and prayers and let them tell us how best to honor a life well-lived.
On our honor, Betty Underwood did her best. She was, as Mother Teresa wrote, “a little pencil in the hand of a God who is writing a love letter to the world.”
Heartfelt condolences from the Seele family.