BETTE RUTH MINEHART

Bette Ruth Minehart, 90, died Sunday, May 21, 2017 at Litchford Nursing Home while under care by Transitions LifeCare. She was born July 6, 1926 to Jacob Vander Pol and Jennie Vander Pol in Philip, South Dakota, the fourth of seven children.

She graduated from Mitchell High School, where she met Donald James Minehart. They were married shortly after he was mustered out of the Army Air Force following the Japanese surrender. She'd completed an Associate of Education program at Dakota Wesleyan. Midway through Don's agricultural engineering program at South Dakota State, she gave birth to their first of four children. As married women with children were barred from teaching positions in those days, her livelong interest in children was expressed in growing her own family, helping her children with their own families, and in varieties of charitable work focused especially on children.

As a wife and mother, she was Don's partner in a life that started in quiet South Dakota towns where he worked in the Soil Conservation Service of the US Dept of Agriculture. After 12 years of this, they were ready for a change. They jumped at the opportunity to take a two-year stint in India where Don worked as an ag engineering advisor to state and national governments. The two years turned into thirteen in India, with subsequent stays for 6 months to 2 years each in Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, and the Philippines. Traveling to and from those assignments, as well as during retirement, they had opportunities to travel in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America, North and sub-Saharan Africa, much of Europe, the Middle East, and most of North America.

Don's retirement brought them back to the US. Initially they lived in Virginia outside DC, close to a couple sons and later a daughter as well. All three children started families of their own close by, and Bette relished her role as grandmother. With the kids maturing, Don and Bette moved to Florida

Two of the sons moved to Raleigh to start a business. When the business failed, they stayed on with different jobs. The daughter moved to Raleigh as well. Eventually, one of those sons moved to Florida, a couple hours from Don and Bette. The others remained in Raleigh. Following a visit to the Raleigh family group in the summer of 2002, Don and Bette were in a car accident during their return to Florida. Don suffered an injury that, a month later, proved fatal. Don and Bette had been married for almost 55 years.

Bette stayed on alone in Florida for a couple years, then moved back to Raleigh to be closer to son, daughter, grandchildren, and growing numbers of great-grandchildren. She was an active member of the North Raleigh United Methodist Church and her Raven Ridge homeowner association until physical disabilities finally prevented her from getting around. She resided at the Abbotswood assisted living facility in Raleigh for a few years, before going into the Litchford Nursing Home last fall.

She is survived by two sons, David and Glen, and daughter, Nancy. The third son, Curtis, died in Raleigh in 2010. She had eleven grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. About half of the family still lives in Raleigh, while the rest are in Virginia, Oregon, Florida, and Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:

Transitions LifeCare
(formerly Hospice of Wake County)
250 Hospice Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607