Elizabeth “Betty” Knawa, 78 of Huntley, died peacefully, February 12, 2021 at Journey Care Hospice in Barrington.
Visitation for Betty will be on Friday, February 19, 2021 from 10am until the time of the 11:00am service at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church-10805 Main Street in Huntley. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Liverfoundation.org or Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley, IL.
Betty was born August 20, 1942 in Blue Island, Illinois the daughter of Howard and Grace Barr. On October 28, 1967 she married her soulmate, Thomas C. Knawa. She earned her bachelor’s degree of Education from Northwest Missouri State University. She later went on to teach 5th and 6th grade at Paul Revere School in Blue Island, the same school she attended. She was a detailed planner of vacations ranging from family camping trips to international travel with Tom. Betty and Tom enjoyed golfing, gardening, collecting art, cooking together and travel adventures, especially cruising. During her time in Sun City she was very active in her church community, Bocci Ball, Book Club, and playing bridge. Her greatest joy was her family. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend who will be missed by all who knew her.
She is survived by her husband, Tom, her daughters, Elisa (Albert) Jung, Lauren (William) Nickerson, her grandchildren, Andrew Jung and Carter Nickerson and by her brother, David (Bonnie) Barr, and sister, Laurie (Larry) Conrad, niece Chelsea and nephews Brian and Clayton.
Betty was proceeded in death by her parents.
For further information please call the funeral home at 847-515-8772 or online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com
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Dear Tom and family, Sending our prayers of sympathy to all the family. Betty was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother and friend and so proud of her family. She was so strong and over came so many problems and yet she kept on going. She will be missed by friends in Sun City and Shepherd of the Prairie. She will be in your hearts with wonderful memories forever.
The gates of heaven welcome Betty to be with her God, the king of kings, the prince of peace and love forever. May the Lord comfort Tom and family during these times. Betty was a lovely person and wonderful neighbor. We were blessed to have her and Tom to welcome us to the Sun City neighborhood.
So kind — such fun — true sunshine! May the beams of that sunshine bring family and friends comfort and peace through warm memories.
Dear Tom and family, Bill and I send our deepest sympathy to you and you family for the loss of dearest Betty. She was such a dear friend and we will miss her so much. Our bridge group had such good times together and we will cherish all the memories through the years. Sharing stories of family trips and laughing together brought such joy to our lives. May Betty be at peace and please know that Betty will forever be in our hearts. God bless you all. Nancy and Bill
Dear Tom and family, I am so sorry to hear about Betty's passing. I worked with Betty right before her retirement at Fulton School. Although we lost touch over the years, I will always remember Betty as a fun and friendly woman who loved her family more than anything! She has left behind a beautiful legacy.
So very sad to hear of the loss of a wonderful woman! I worked with Betty at Fulton School where she came into my P.E. classroom with her pre kindergarten students. Such a lovely lady. So very sorry.
We met Betty at Shepherd of the Prairie and learned that she and Tom were also our neighbors. Betty’s smile and laughter filled the room. We were blessed to be her friend. Betty will be missed so very much. Our prayers are with Tom and the family as they grieve this great loss.
Dear Tom & Family, My condolences to you & your family. Betty shared many wonderful stories about you & the girls, smiling from ear to ear. Sweet Betty was one of a kind. May you find comfort & peace knowing she’s resting peacefully. Fulton friend.
Dear Tom and Family, Our deepest sympathy to all. Words cannot express how saddened we are with the passing of our dear friend, Betty. Her uplifting personality brought so much fun to our bridge games, dinner parties with SOTP friends, church meetings, and even hiking on mountain trails in Arizona. She will be missed. As our hearts heal, her memories will keep smiles on our faces. May peace be with you, Tom and family.
Dear Tom and family. We are so sorry to hear of the passing of Betty. She was always smiling and was a regular cook for the funeral committee which was so appreciated. She will be missed by many.
Dear Tom and Family, I'm so very sorry to hear of Betty's passing. I had the pleasure of working with her at Fulton School. She was always upbeat and positive and what a sense of humor! A great lady that will truly be missed. You have my deepest condolences.
My sincere sympathy to you and your family, Tom! JoAnn
Tom, so sorry for you and your family on your loss. Our deepest sympathy.
I can’t be,I eve sweet Betty is no longer with us, making us laugh. I will be forever grateful that I was blessed to work with Betty and she become a very treasured friend. I worked with Betty at Fulton School, we were both aides in the Pre-K program. I have so many fun, wonderful memories of Betty and I am sad to know she is gone. I looked forward to getting together as soon as covid got under control. I’m so sad we will have no more beautiful times shared but so thankful for the times we did have. I’m sure she is singing up in the big choir up in heaven and sounding fantastic. I look forward to laughing with her again. I’m thinking of all your family in these very dark days that you are living through and will be keeping you in my prayers. I know her family was the most important thing to her and she touched the lives of so many with her kindness and vivacious spirit. I know there are so many treasured memories of Betty all over alive in so many hearts. May God bless all our memories of our incredible friend. As for the family, I’m praying that you feel Gods great love, comfort and presence is felt especially in the times when your heart is breaking. May it bring you peace to know that you will be together again and it will be more joyous than any of us can imagine. Thinking of you and lifting you up in prayer.
tom sorry to hear about betty sending my prayers