Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ruhl

Betty was born on November 22, 1934 at home near Seward, Nebraska to parents Emil and Rose (Kozisek) Moravec. She was the youngest of three children living on a farm until the family moved to York, Nebraska in 1945.

She attended St. Joseph’s High School in York where she played volleyball, was a cheerleader and a featured singer in school performances. Betty’s first job was at an ice cream shop in York.  She got the job by tagging along with her sister LaVerna who already worked there when, after a time, the manager assumed Betty was an employee and started assigning her hours. Her singing was featured in weddings and earned her a full-ride college scholarship for music that she gave up, opting for family life instead.

It was during high school Betty met the love of her life Darryl. Their love grew spending time on the front porch swing together at Betty’s house in town. They always knew they would get married and sealed the deal in April 1953 (pretty much as soon as the law allowed) and never stopped being best friends in the 69 years that followed.

The couple built their first home in Lincoln but decided to move to Ralston in 1962 to be closer to Darryl’s job. A devout Catholic, Betty was an active member in St. Gerald’s parish all her adult life, and was a regular participant in devotional rosaries, perpetual adoration one hour weekly for 25 years, and even voluntarily laundered the priests’ vestments at home for many years. Betty had many friends and was a member of the Red Hat Society.  She was known as Ralston’s Avon Lady (collecting many Mrs. Albee figurines) and she participated in bowling and golf leagues as well.  She also enjoyed collecting all sorts of pretty bells for display.

Betty enjoyed travel and took many journeys with Darryl including an Alaskan cruise, trips to country-music destination Branson, and extensive travel in the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest visiting family and seeing the sites. A vacation to the east coast back in the day (circa 1970), in a station wagon pulling a pop-up camper and packed with all six kids, Darryl’s mother and the dog, is family legend.

Betty was a devoted wife and mother filling her home with love (and the occasional Kolache, fried chicken, potato salad w/sweet pickles, and creamed cucumbers). She shared her love of music with her daughters, accompanying them on piano for singing lessons. She kept her cheerleading skills sharp attending hundreds of her sons’ sporting events over the years. She also was a loving grandmother with Fridays known as ‘Grandma Fridays’ (aka 7 under 7), that always included a helping of mac and cheese. She was quite fond of her dachshunds, Dixie and Cookie.

Betty passed peacefully on the morning of May 31. She is preceded in passing by her brother Alfred. She is survived by husband Darryl, sister LaVerna (Malmstrom), sister-in-law Nadine Moravec, and her 6 children: Jean (John) Johnson, Lori (Jay) Skoumal Reeves, Donna (Jack) Kenny, Thad (Rhonda), Gary (Tina), Craig (Michelle); 16 grandchildren: Michelle, Jeff, Brent, Brandon, Bryce, Brianne, Tara, Colleen, Joseph, Syra, Holli, Scarlett, Marissa, Colton, Toni, Sydnee; and 9 great-grandchildren: Mason, Minka, Aoife, Finn, Rowan, Henry, Gabriella, Leighton, Calvin.

***To watch a LIVESTREAM of the services, click the "Open Video" button below and you will be redirected to the live feed***