ELIZABETH M. KAISER

Elizabeth Mary “Betty Mae” Kaiser died Sept. 28, 2011, at her home in Orange City, Fla.  She was born May 11, 1928, the eldest of five children, to the late Victor Markofski and Helen (Brehm) Markofski.

She was the valedictorian of the St. Mary’s High School class of 1946. Certain of her classmates shamelessly admit to copying her Latin homework to get themselves through the school year. Several of these classmates remained her lifelong friends, telephoning and emailing with her right up until her death. After high school, she completed classes in advanced accounting at a business school in Milwaukee and subsequently took a job as an accountant for a Milwaukee advertising agency.

In 1949 she met her husband of nearly 51 years, Harold.  They were married in June 1950. Harold proposed only two weeks after being introduced to Betty by her father. In Harold’s own words, he thanked his new in-laws for uniting him with their daughter, and “for the best wedding he’d ever had.”  Harold died in February 2001.

She had a long career as an accountant for various car dealerships in the Burlington area. She learned the multiple accounting systems required by the various car companies, and relatively late in her career was able to transition to computerized accounting from the manual ledgers she was used to maintaining. She was proud to make Ford Motor Company’s Accountant’s Honor Roll each year for consistently preparing and submitting the dealership’s information timely and accurately. She chuckled as she recounted that upon her retirement, the dealership had to hire four people to take her place.

She was a prolific card player, whether with her bridge group in Wisconsin, playing sheepshead with her parents and children, or the countless games of cribbage with Harold, Doc and Eurana, and her children. She was a voracious reader and particularly enjoyed discussing the monthly selection with her book club at John Knox Village. She marveled at the different points of view presented, based on her fellow readers’ ages and life experiences.

Her favorite pastime was undoubtedly knitting. She and her sister Carol engaged in a Madame Defarge-esque contest to see who could be the more prolific provider of knitted goods to their respective families. All of her children, their spouses and grandchildren benefited with gifts of sweaters, vests, hats and mittens. She kept meticulous notes of those items she knitted, including the modifications she made to each garment to accommodate the extra lengths required to fit her offspring.

Most of all, Betty was proud of each of her children.  She reveled in their successes, groaned at their missteps and catalogued their accomplishments.

Her seven children and their spouses all survive her, David and his wife Peg Epping of Burlington, Diane Snyder and her husband Michael of Federal Way, Wash., Kenneth and his wife Mary Weber of Minneapolis, Thomas of Los Angeles, Donald and his wife Kim of Littleton, Colo., Marjorie and her wife Allison Mendel of Anchorage, Alaska, and Nancy Kaiser of Madison. In addition, she is survived by eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; her youngest sister, Joan (Harry) Groleau; and many nieces and nephews.

She was further preceded in death by siblings, Jack, Carol Jones, and Bill.

A celebration of her life will be held for her in Wisconsin in mid-November. Deltona Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, Orange City, Fla., assisted the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Betty Kaiser Memorial Book Club Fund at John Knox Village, 105 Northlake Drive, Orange City FL 32763.