Betty Lou Alleven

Betty Lou Alleven, age 95, passed away on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at the Mapleton Community Home. Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 20 at St. Teresa Catholic Church. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the church. Livestream will be available on Betty’s obituary at www.mankatomortuary.com

Betty was born on March 9, 1928, to Edwin and Anna Shafer at their home in Calumet, Iowa. The second of five children, she enjoyed her childhood on the family farm. After high school, she moved to Mankato, Minnesota, where she attended Mankato Commercial College. When she graduated from college, she was hired as a bookkeeper at Zeismer Motors, where she met Henry (Hank) Alleven, who was employed there as a service manager.

They were married on October 9, 1948, and lived in Mankato. Later, Hank bought the Ford car dealership in Mapleton, and they moved there in 1953. Along with raising their 6 children, Betty supported Hank in the dealership.

Hank and Betty moved to the country in 1972 where they built a house in a beautiful, secluded spot near the Maple River. Betty helped create many of the home’s features and showed a flair for interior design. She loved the serenity of country life where she cultivated a large garden and enjoyed various species of birds, including her beloved cardinals.

In 1974 she started working at a factory in Winnebago. Then, in 1979, she began a new job as a nurse’s aide at the Mapleton Community Home. She worked there for 28 years until at age 80 she retired.

Betty was active in many social activities, including curling, golf, study club, garden club, the community home Auxiliary and the Red Hat Ladies Society, where she served as the historian. She enjoyed traveling in the U.S. and around the world, including to Jamaica, England, Spain and Kenya. She was a member of St. Theresa’s Church and enjoyed being part of the quilting group. She liked to entertain and made a much requested potato salad. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially doing activities during the holidays.

In 2021, she moved into the Mapleton Community Home where she received wonderful care.

She is survived by one son, Warren Alleven (Cindy) of Delavan; four daughters, Patrice LeBrun (Rick) of Springfield, Oregon, Kim Bartholomew (Karmen) of Mapleton, Brenda Lenz of Denver, and Monica Shannon (Tom) of Hammond, Oregon; one sister, Marlys Tewes; 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Hank; brother, Wallace; sisters, Carol and Leora; son, Brad; and great-granddaughter, Audrey Corin Johnston.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Mapleton Community Home and St. Teresa Catholic Church of Mapleton.

Graveside service will be held at Calvary Cemetery following lunch at the church. Betty’s son Bradley, who passed away on Sept. 4, 2020, will also be interred at that time.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by Mankato Area Funeral Homes.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.