Elizabeth J. 'Betty' Deutscher, 97, went to her eternal rest on January 10, 2025. Betty was born on December 14, 1927, in Holyrood, Kansas to Albert F. and Irene B. (Adams) Voss. Betty attended Lyons High School and later earned a GED. Betty married Ira H. Griffin on April 1, 1945, and together they had two children, Carey Elaine and Mari Ellen. Ira worked in the oil field and the family lived in several Kansas communities before moving to Plainville in 1962. During Betty’s time in Plainville, she worked at several local businesses, including Kuhn’s Grocery, C.O. Mammel Grocery, Unrein’s Drug Store and the Plainville Rural Hospital.
Betty met Arthur “Artie” Deutscher at a singles dance in 1978 and they married on June 24, 1980. Betty quickly became a farm wife, assisting Artie in all the chores. Together, they danced and traveled throughout 27 years of marriage.
Betty was a life member of the Order of Eastern Star and served as Worthy Matron in the Plainville Chapter, as a Grand Officer (Adah) in the State Chapter and a Rainbow Girls sponsor. She was a member of the Bukovina Society of America and served on the DSNWK Board for 15 years.
Faith carried Betty through all her life challenges. She was an active member of the Christ Lutheran Church in Ellis and the Faith Lutheran Church in Topeka.
Betty moved to Via Christi in Hays in January 2024. While dementia took her memory, she loved having visitors and always greeted them with a smile. Her positive attitude was the hallmark of a long life, well-lived.
Betty is survived by daughters Carey (Ken) Wingett and Mari (Mike) Tucker; sisters Shirley Cheatum, Alice (Earl) Sneath and Marilyn (James) Rodgers, sister-in-law Glenda Voss; grandchildren Michelle Burch, Heather Redd, and Lee Tucker; great-grandchildren Jalessa Jackson, Mariah Jackson, Ebon’e Jackson, and Cayden Tucker; great-great granddaughter Rayne Elise Brobst; beloved nieces and nephews; and numerous members of the Voss, Adams and Deutscher families.
She was predeceased by her parents, infant sibling Blanche Evelyn, brothers William Alfred and Ralph Frederick, sisters Grace Brown and Joyce Elliott, and husband Artie.
Visitation will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025, at Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Plainville, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., at Christ Lutheran Church, Ellis, followed by graveside services and burial at Mount Hope Cemetery, Ellis.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to Fort Hays State University Foundation, specified for the Ralph F. Voss/Elvon and Ruby Feldkamp Scholarship, or the Christ Lutheran Church in Ellis and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd, Plainville, KS 67663.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com