Betty Lou Stewart Rodriguez

July 8, 1944 ~ April 25, 2010

VALLEY SPRINGS and WALLACE, Calveras County, California -

Betty Lou Stewart Rodriguez of Wallace, California died of natural causes Sunday, April 25, 2010, at her home. She was 65.

Born July 8, 1944, in Ogden, Utah, Mrs. Rodriguez graduated from Weber High School in 1962.  She afterward attended Utah State College for two years.

Betty Lou Stewart Rodriguez - 1960's (year unknown).

She moved to San Francisco in the early 1960s. There, she was a beautician for her own salon. In August 1967 she met and married Andy Rodriguez. She finally settled in Wallace in 1981 with her family, and they built a home there.

She was a pianist/organist at Bethel Lutheran Church, Mokelumne Hill Lutheran Church and Foothill Lutheran Church. She worked as an office assistant on a ranch and as a teacher’s aide for Valley Springs Elementary School until becoming an escrow officer for First American Title Company, where she worked from the 1980s until her retirement in 2009.

Betty Lou with daughter, Madelynne, mother, Rita, and son, Abraham

Mrs. Rodriguez was survived by her husband, Abelino “Andy” Rodriguez of Wallace; children Abraham Rodriguez of Modesto and Madelynne King of Valley Springs, California; brothers Gary Stewart of Evanston, Wyoming, Ted Stewart of Reno, Nevada, Jay Stewart of West Point, Utah, and Kelly Stewart of Ogden, Utah; sister Mary Lou Shumway of South San Francisco; and one grandchild.

Betty Lou's grandchild, Brandon, son, Abraham and husband, Andy Rodriguez

Betty Lou's daughter, Madelynne, daughter-in-law, Theresa and son, Abraham ("Abe") 2011

Betty Lou's brothers, Kelly, Ted, Jay, Gary, Betty Lou, sister Marylynne and parents, Lyn and Rita

A memorial service was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Good Samaritan Covenant Church in Valley Springs, California.

The website article also received this comment:

Madelynne King wrote on May 4, 2010:

"I love you mom and you will forever be in our hearts. Love your daughter "

Following are photos of Betty Lou from the Golden Spike and Wahlquist:

Betty Lou is third from the right on the front row

Betty Lou is second from the left, looking up at DeeAnn Petty, standing

Grils' Ensemble at the Senior Bacalaurette - Originally the '58-59 Wahlquist Junior High Melodettes - Betty Lou is fourth from the left, wearing a hat

And speaking of the '58-59 "Melodettes," Betty Lou is sixth from the left in this photo

Betty Lou in 9th Grade, 1959 and as a Junior at Weber, 1961

Betty Lou's "Senior Accomplishments" in the '62 Yearbook also list:

F.T.A.   •   Student Council   •    French Club    •    UN Delegate    •   LDS Seminary Graduate

Obituary adapted from the Calaveras Enterprise (California) paper of May 4, 2010.  The class In Memory Project extends its sincere thanks to Betty Lou's daughter, Madelynne Rodriguez King, and to Wendy Simmons Johnson (daughter of Classmates Jane Chugg Renstrom and Serge Simmons), to Jane, who contributed the Melodettes' photo and Dave Stanger who added the Junior high photo, and to Classmates Earl Henstra, James Keller, Sandy Grimm and Liz Hadley Taylor who all worked on the creation of this page.