A different version of you exists in the minds of everyone who knows you.” (Don Miguel Ruiz)

Betty Gene (Mom) — born August 3, 1924, passed away July 10, 2019, in Eureka.

She was a strong-willed, intelligent, and determined woman. She exemplified the Finnish word, sisu, which, roughly translated, means courage, tenacity and resilience. She learned in her late 80’s how to correspond on Facebook with relatives in Finland.

Her father, Jesse Earl Shank, was born in Illinois in 1885. He was co-owner of a successful gold mine in Oatman, Arizona. Her mother was Jenny Mehtala Shank, born in a small town near Oulu, Finland, immigrating to the United States as a teenager. Jenny’s brothers used Methala and Metsala for their last names, making genealogy searches extra interesting.

Mom was born in Fortuna because it was too hot in Arizona to deliver babies in August. In her earliest years, she lived in Arizona. She later attended schools in Fortuna, Scotia, and Arcata, before graduating from Fort Bragg High School in 1942. She was an excellent student and was proud that she outscored the boys on math tests.

When she was 5 years old, her father died, leaving her mother with 5 children to rear alone. Her siblings, Dorothy, Herschel, Charles, Woodrow, and Mary Ellen have all predeceased her.

In 1934, her mother married Jack Newman of Noyo Hill, east of Fort Bragg. From that union, she gained a half-sister, Jan Newman Curtis. Jan’s husband Gene, from another Noyo Hill family, passed away in November of 2018.

Mom’s marriage to Elmo Seely lasted 20 years. Michael, Kevin, Jenny and Ned were children from that marriage. Her second marriage (52 years long) to Kenneth Cringle added step-children Brenda, Pam and Dee Dee.

At the time of her marriage to Kenny, she was the switchboard operator at Eureka City Hall. She later worked in the Finance Department, and he was a Captain in the Eureka Fire Department. Mom was instrumental in organizing an employee committee to negotiate the best health insurance for city employees.

After they retired, they traveled the country in a motorhome, snow birding in Arizona, visiting relatives in other states, and researching family records. After settling for some years in Reno, they returned to Eureka. Kenny passed away in December 2016 and she greatly missed him.

Mom enjoyed reading, playing games on a Kindle, working jigsaw puzzles, country western music, crocheting, a good cribbage game, gambling, going to the Elks, and to class reunions. She was a skilled pool player and, at one time, had a pool table in the family room. She loved dogs and she and Kenny had several of them.

Her best friend for much of her life was Muriel Shattuck who, sadly, predeceased her many years ago. At Granada Rehab, she found another true friend in roommate Martha Lopez, and she was always happy to see special friend Sherrill Fitzsimons come to visit. She was treated very well by the staff at Granada for the two years she was there.

Betty Gene was a loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great, great-grandmother. She was the favorite of many of her nieces and nephews. No formal services will be held. There may be a private family observance at a later date.

At the age of 90, Mom was a passenger in a car that was t-boned by another car. The cars had to be pulled apart in order to get her out of the vehicle. Emergency personnel checked her over and suggested she go inside her daughter’s house to rest, which coincidentally happened to be right across the street from the accident. But, she refused. She wanted to watch the police and firemen at work. Instead of being scared, she was interested and excited, saying she “always wondered what it would feel like to be in a wreck.” Sisu!

###