A Life Full of Faith, Family, Love, and Adventure

A Celebration of Life

Betty Lueth (Jenkins) lived a life shaped by faith, family, adventure, determination, and love. She passed away on October 6, 2026, at the age of 80. Though small in stature, she was never small in personality, faith, or devotion to her people.

Fresh out of high school, Betty proudly joined the United States Navy, where she served in air traffic control. She remained deeply proud of her military service throughout her life. During that time, she met Bill Lueth, whom she married and with whom she welcomed three daughters: Carrie Thames, Kellie Newton (Dan), and Veronica Pechumer (Brent). Although their marriage later ended, the family they began grew into generations of people she loved fiercely.

Following her military service, Betty worked for the State of Michigan for many years. Her determination, strong work ethic, and willingness to help others were qualities she carried throughout her life.

Her grandchildren, Cody Kowalczyk, Nick and Ashley Newton, Tyler and Andrew Thames, Cachet Stanlake, Noah Vanderlin, and Nathan Pechumer, along with her many great-grandchildren, brought her tremendous joy. One of the things Grandma loved most was that there always seemed to be another little one to love. With each new generation came more little hands to hold, games to teach, and adventures to plan.

And oh, how she loved an adventure! Sometimes it meant traveling across the country; other times, it meant taking a grandchild to the library. The destination mattered far less than the company. She found joy in making memories, bringing people together, and turning ordinary moments into something special. More than once, while reflecting on where life's adventures had taken her, she said, "Who would have thought I would end up in the middle of a field in Missouri?"

Betty often referred to her family as "my people." And if you were one of her people, you knew it.

Her love was steadfast. Fiercely protective and endlessly supportive, she was always ready to give whatever she had to help someone she loved. She believed in her people, sometimes more than they believed in themselves. She stood behind us, encouraged us, pushed us, and, when necessary, practically dragged us toward something better. Once Mom believed something could be done, she was going to figure out a way to make it happen. Giving up simply wasn't in her nature.

That determination was matched by her enduring optimism. Even in the most difficult situations, she could almost always find a bright side, sometimes to the complete exasperation of the rest of us! She saw possibilities where others saw problems and encouraged gratitude, offered advice, and reminded us to look for the good, even when we weren't particularly interested in hearing it.

At the center of her life was her faith. She loved the Lord deeply and expressed that love through the way she lived. A prayer warrior, teacher, and example to generations of her family, she shared her faith through heartfelt conversations, words of encouragement, and the occasional Bible study assigned to a grandchild who had gotten into trouble. Her faith was not simply something she believed; it was something she lived, and it remains one of the greatest gifts she passed on to her family.

Grandma also loved games, especially cards, and she was a fierce competitor. She might let the little ones cheat, but everyone else had better come prepared to play! Cribbage tournaments, euchre games, and countless hours around the table created memories that will be treasured for years to come. She could turn an ordinary afternoon into a family competition, whether everyone wanted to participate or not.

Then there were the words that could strike fear into the hearts of her family:

"You know, I was thinking..."

Those words usually meant she had a plan, an idea, or an adventure in mind, and whether we knew it yet or not, we were probably going to be part of it.

Betty loved gathering everyone around the table, spending time with her sisters, especially Sylvia, sitting on the porch, and traveling with family. She also treasured the quiet moments, like watching Little House on the Prairie while playing solitaire on her phone, with a grandchild sitting beside her. She didn't need an elaborate occasion to make a memory. Simply being together was enough.

Strong, determined, generous, loving, and occasionally just a little exasperating, Betty had a gift for making ordinary days memorable. She could be fiercely competitive at the card table and fiercely protective of the people sitting around it. She helped the people around her believe they could do more than they thought possible.

Throughout her life, Betty gave so much love to others. In her final days, that love came back to her in abundance. She was surrounded by the love of the family she had spent her lifetime building, supporting, encouraging, and protecting. She left this world knowing just how deeply she was loved by her people.

Betty is survived by her daughters, Kellie Newton (Dan) and Veronica Pechumer (Brent); her grandchildren, Cody Kowalczyk, Nick and Ashley Newton, Andrew Thames, Cachet Stanlake, Noah Vanderlin, and Nathan Pechumer; her many cherished great-grandchildren; and her sisters, Ada, Donna, and Sylvia. She also leaves behind extended family and friends whose lives were touched by her love, faith, humor, and unwavering support.

She was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Carrie Thames; her grandson, Tyler Thames; her parents, Fanny Ruth Jenkins and Boyd Jenkins; and her siblings, Sidney, Alice, Margaret, Debbie, and Helen.

Her legacy lives on in the faith she shared, the confidence she inspired, the adventures she created, and the love she poured into every generation. We are all better because she stood behind us, cheered us on, lifted us up, and sometimes gave us the push we didn't know we needed.

We will miss her advice, her optimism, her determination, her laughter, and even those moments when we heard her say, "You know, I was thinking..."

Most of all, we will miss being together with her.

She loved her people fiercely. And her people loved her right back.