(11/11/1923 ~ 8/13/2012)
Sister Betty Carr was born in Farley, IA, on Nov. 11, 1923, to Joseph and Callista (Moran) Carr. She was the second youngest of nine children. She grew up in Iowa, attending St. Joseph School in Farley until she was 12 when her family moved to Cascade. Betty graduated from St. Martin School in Cascade in 1941. After graduation, she went to Chicago for what she intended to be a two-week vacation. Instead she remained there for three years. She worked at Stouffer's Restaurant until World War II broke out. She then worked at International Harvester as an overhead crane operator helping to put tractors together for war use. Betty returned to Dubuque, IA, in 1946. There she entered the Sisters of Mercy Cedar Rapids Community.
Sister Betty taught first grade for 47 years in various schools in Kalispell, MT; Edina, MN; and in Iowa. She returned to Kalispell for the last 15 years of her ministry where she served at St. Matthew's School for two years and the remaining 13 years she was at St. Matthew's Parish visiting the home-bound. In 2005, she retired to Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids.
Sister Julie Brown of Joplin, MO, said, "Betty loved life in spite of the ups and downs - she'd tell you just what was on her mind and, yet, she had a soft spot for those she loved. I am going to miss her - I can imagine her watching her beloved White Sox, Bears and Hawkeyes from her box seat in heaven!"