Betty Wasland

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Betty Wasland, age 76, of Watertown died Thursday morning, February 17, 2022 at Prairie Lakes Hospital surrounded by family.

Visitation will be held at the Furness Funeral Home from 5-7 pm on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Funeral services will be Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 11 am with visitation one hour prior at the Calvary Lutheran Church.  Burial will follow at Telemarken Cemetery, rural Wallace.

Betty Ann Dunlavy was born April 21, 1945 at Peabody Hospital in Webster, SD, the third child of James Lawrence and Catherine Veronica (Nolan) Dunlavy. She grew up on a farm southwest of Crocker with her parents and twelve siblings. Growing up, the kids would play outside or listen to "Gunsmoke" and "The Lone Ranger" on the radio.  Visiting neighbors and trips into Crocker were childhood highlights. Betty attended country school at Mallard Slough School and Spring Valley #37 through the eighth grade.  She then attended high school in Conde until the middle of her junior year when they moved north of Clark so she ended up graduating from Clark High School with the Class of 1963.  Following school, she worked as a nurse's aid at the Memorial Hospital in Watertown.

On July 11, 1964, Betty married LeRoy (Pete) Clinton Wasland. They farmed on the Wasland family farm southwest of Wallace where they spent a lot of time milking cows. In 1986, they sold the cattle and moved to Baton Rouge, LA where LeRoy attended Bible College and became an ordained minister in 1989. They moved back to Wallace and then into Watertown in 1990. They started the Neighborhood Church of Watertown and pastored that for eight years.

In 2004, they sold the farm. Betty and LeRoy both retired but she could still be found helping her daughter, Penny, and Penny's husband, Cecil at Penny's Tendercare Greenhouse. Betty also enjoyed reading, sewing, painting, and taking care of her flowers. In Betty's words, "What I most enjoy is living close to my family and seeing them grow up and accomplish many things. I am so proud of each and everyone of them and am glad to be part of their lives."

Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, LeRoy Wasland of Watertown; children, Bill (Cheryl) Wasland and Penny (Cecil) Martinez, all of Watertown, and Lance (Rachelle) Wasland of Bradley; grandchildren, Amanda Martz, Blake Wasland, Aleigha VanderPoel, Christian Kaaz, Justin Wasland, Jennifer Sheldon, Josh Martinez, Rebecca Sims, and Emma Trautman; and 10 great grandchildren. She is also survived by siblings Jane (Dennis) Zinda of Big Lake, MN, Catherine Ragels of Mitchell, Darrel (Pam) Dunlavy of Huson, MT, Tom Dunlavy of Claremont, SD, Leo (Denise) Dunlavy of Andover, SD, Jan (Sandie) Dunlavy of Belle Plain, KS and Kim (Kenny) Lewis of Gresham, OR.  Betty also leaves sisters-in-law, Peggy Dunlavy and June (Carl) Whetsel; and brother-in-law Fred McDonald.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Dale and Bob; sisters, Helen Ragels, Carol Peterson and Bonnie McDonald; brothers-in-law, LaVoy Ragels, David Peterson, Norm Ragels, and David Wasland; and sister-in-law, Merlene Dunlavy.

Furness Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and there is an online registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com .