On May 3, 2017, Irene went to be with her Lord and savior, and to be reunited with the love of her life, her husband Charles.

Irene was born in Sharon, Kansas to William and Edna Goodner on March 31, 1925. She was the youngest of six children. In 1940 she moved to Northern California with her parents. It was there that she met Charles — through her sister Zina, who was married to Charles’ older brother, Paul. In 1942 Charles and Irene were married in Eureka by a Justice of the Peace.

Shortly after they were married, Charles was drafted into the Army and served in World War II. After his discharge Charles and Irene, along with Zina and Paul, bought five lots on Dixie Street in Rio Dell, where they all built their homes along with a home between them for Irene and Zinas’ parents in 1947. It was during the construction of their home that they received the news of a baby on its way. Shortly after moving in their new home, the first of four boys was born.

Charles and Irene raised all four boys in that two-bedroom home and continued to live there for over 60 years until the dreaded disease of dementia took over her mind and had to finally be placed in a care home in 2010. During that time of raising their family they were both very involved in the Rio Dell Church of Christ, literally building it from the ground up. They were also very active in the Boy Scouts in the 1960s, where you could see Boy Scouts coming and going through their house at all times.

Charles and Paul for years were self-employed in the auto repair business. Their shop was known as Bettis Brothers Garage, and Irene was the bookkeeper. Every other year they would close up shop for a month and travel with their boys to visit Charles’ sister in Kansas, taking a different route each time to show us boys places like the Alamo, Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caves, Mt. Rushmore and several other sites between home and Kansas.

After Charles retired they enjoyed making different wooden knickknacks and toys, and selling them at the Christmas bazaar in Eureka. Charles would cut out the pieces and Irene, without any classes in art, would sit at the kitchen table and paint the pieces, bringing so much life and detail to them.

Irene had a great sense of humor and loved life so much and everyone around her. She would always meet you with a big smile and her favorite saying — “come here and let me hug your neck.”

Irene was preceded in death by her parents and all of her siblings: Hubert, Claude, and Charles Goodner and her two sisters Vesta Harmon and Zina Bettis, and by her oldest son, Richard and her husband Charles. She is survived by her other three sons and daughter-in-laws — Randy and Linda Bettis of Central Point, Ore., Ronald and Renee Bettis of Caldwell, Idaho and Rod and Barb Bettis of Rio Dell — along with eight grandchildren and several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Redwood Christian Fellowship at 750 13th St. Fortuna on Saturday, June 10th at 1 p.m.

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The obituary above was submitted by Irene Bettis’ family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.