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ANR
Elizabeth (Betty) Jane Hulda (Hansen) Hungerford was born at home on July 29, 1925 to Chris and Edith (Nilson) Hansen, in Hampton. She was raised in Aurora at Pleasant Hill Farm. Her fathers family was from Denmark, mothers from Sweden. She was baptized Sept 6, 1925 and confirmed April 16, 1939 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hampton. She attended Dana College in Blair majoring in elementary education. She taught in Nebraska and Lake Oswego, Oregon.
She married Robert Ira (Bob) Hungerford of Portland, Oregon on July 22, 1948. Betty Hungerford built her life-long home in Milwaukie, Oregon. Children include: 1949 – Marian June 6, 1950; Christie Oct. 23, 1951; Robert (Rob) Jan. 27, 1953; Eric June 1, 1954; John Oct. 31, 1955; Nancy Nov. 26, 1957; William Ira b/d 1959; Paul July 21, 1961; Ben Nov. 13, 1962; Andy Dec. 25, 1963. Betty died in the home she helped build 74 years before on December 19, 2023 at the age 98.
1) Strength and hard work – grew up on a dryland Nebraska farm. With no electricity and most work done through muscle power. She learned to truly enjoy hard physical work and making do. She learned gratitude for little things like rain, clean water and the God given gift of life itself. She learned to push herself (and others) hard to get a job done. Extreme willpower.
2) Fear – The Great Depression hit during her early teen years. No rain, no crops and no money. Betty often told about losing the farm and her mother crying. In her 4-H work she tracked family expenses and only 1 item was purchased in a store the year she was 12. She developed an intense desire to be “in control” of her own life and the world around her. She tightly controlled her own emotions, actions and feelings and required the same from those around her. Doing her duty was paramount!
3) Faith – she grew up in a conservative Lutheran church and fully accepted it’s Bible based teachings. She tells of her 13th birthday at camp and the song - “Living for Jesus” during which she committed herself to obeying Jesus throughout her life. As an adult with children, she faithfully attended and was highly active in a nearby Lutheran church. In later years she described herself as a “missionary” working to counteract the extra Biblical teachings she found there.
4) Intelligence and Innovation – an extremely intelligent woman in a time when such a combination was often ridiculed. She was the top student in her college and often showed visionary wisdom far beyond her years. Throughout her life, she read 1 or 2 books per month, subscribed to and read at least 5 thought provoking magazines monthly plus daily newspapers. Her home library had many hundreds of volumes to encourage a love of reading in her children. She was often frustrated by the tight social limits imposed on women but threw herself whole heartedly into the areas she found open. She taught her own children at least as much and often more than they learned in formal schools. She formed and led adult and child Bible studies, Brownies, Y Indian Guides, Campfire Girls, Girl Scouts, 4-H groups, cooking classes, Highland fling dancing, piano lessons, sewing classes and many more. Studied architecture to plan her own house, studied weaving so she could teach her young children. She made suggestions, plus the children built many things on their own – a fire pole between floors in the house, secret passages behind walls, triple deck tree forts with water and power. Whatever a child was interested in she would learn and help them do.
5) Family – She birthed 10 children in 13 years. She pushed her active, energetic children into a life of adven-ture, large scale gardening, faith and fun. Exhausting, but she faithfully soldiered on year after year while husband Bob worked hard at his business to support the family. A pony for riding, chickens, cows for beef and daily milking. A reluctant son once calculated that it was cheaper to buy food than to do the work and raise their own. She responded: “I am not raising animals. I am raising children”. Long term vision!
