Betty Roberts Anderson

Betty Roberts Anderson, 93, homemaker and citizen volunteer, died peacefully on April 22, 2016. Memorial services will be held at 10:00 A.M., Friday, April 29, 2016, at North Baptist Church of Ottawa. Betty was born on July 26, 1922, she and her twin sister, Peggy, were the daughters of Ada Woodward Roberts and Sam Earl Roberts, M.D. Until her marriage to Robert A. “Bob” Anderson, she lived in Kansas City where she graduated from the Barstow School for Girls. She attended Randolph Macon Women’s College in Virginia for a year and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1943. She was an enthusiastic member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at both schools. After college, she taught in Winchester near Leavenworth, where she renewed her friendship with Master Sergeant Bob Anderson whom she married in 1944. Following World War II, Bob finished law school at Washburn University, and they settled in Ottawa. As soon as the law firm of Anderson & Byrd was self-supporting, Betty stopped teaching and became involved in social and civic activities. Betty went to Washington D.C. as part of the Ottawa delegation urging Congress to authorize and fund flood control after the 1951 flood brought 5 feet of water into their first home. She was chairperson of the Community Chest when it became United Way and was active with the Franklin County Historical Society. Desiring to draw attention to the lovely architecture in downtown Ottawa, Betty sewed and installed curtains for the second story windows all along Main Street in the 1960s. She loved golf and started a bridge career leading to her becoming a Life Master Bridge player. Betty was a dedicated Christian and devoted many of her later years to her North Baptist Church of Ottawa. In 1954, Betty and Bob adopted four children, Addie, Nancy, Chuck, and David which became an instant family and a full-time occupation. Wonderful friends helped them get through that hot summer and first winter. In 1955, they bought the large 70-year old house at 534 S. Cedar, which they spent the rest of their lives filling with children, friends, memories, music and interesting antiques. After the children had grown up and moved on, Betty and Bob took in foster children and were licensed for children ages16 and over. They helped several go to college. Bob died in 1994 after outstanding work as a lawyer and in Kansas politics. Betty’s older sister, Dorothy Roberts (Frank) Forman of Colorado Springs passed away in 2010. She is survived by her twin sister, Peggy Roberts (William H.) Browning who lives in Wichita; her four children; several nieces and nephews; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Betty spent her last years in Vintage Park LLC in Ottawa, Comfort Care Home in Baldwin, and Golden Living Center in Cottonwood Falls. Annie (Browning) Wilson, one of her many beloved nieces, took special care and watched over Betty in her final years in Cottonwood Falls and John Richeson, Bob’s friend and law partner, attended to Betty’s legal matters. Additionally, she was comforted by the friendship and loving care of Robert Duvall of Overland Park, who died in 2012. The family suggests memorial contributions to North Baptist Church or the Kansas University Medical Research Center c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067. Family and friends are encouraged to post their condolences and memories on Betty’s Tribute Wall at www.dengelmortuary.com