Betty J. Klassen

Betty J. Klassen, 75, passed away on Sunday February 11, 2018 at Lakeland Memorial Hospital in Florida.
Born in Plymouth, Indiana on August 16, 1942, Betty was the daughter of Harley O. and Pearl I. (Doran) Rice.
She was a 1960 graduate of Portage High School.
On April 29, 1991, Betty married James A. Klassen.
Prior to being employed by Lever Brothers in Hammond, IN, she worked as a dispatcher for the Lake Station Police and Fire Departments in Indiana for many years.
She loved spending time with her family, and enjoyed crafting, painting, decorating, and sewing. Betty was a 5 year ovarian cancer survivor and an active member of the Polk County Ovarian Cancer Support Group, as well as the Gala Girls and Red Hat Society in Lakeland.
She is survived by her husband, James of Lakeland, FL; her children: Laura (Ernest) Dodd of Laporte, IN, Lynda (Jay) Hodges of Portage, IN, James (Connie) Talmadge Jr. of Valparaiso, IN, Jon (Michele) Talmadge of Valparaiso, IN, and Bryan (Karen) Klassen of Lake Village, IN; 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; and sisters, Madalyn (John) Miller of Elizabethton, TN and Juanita (Bruce) Ross of Lansing, IL, as well as, many nieces and nephews.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents, son Michael Klassen, grandson Jeffrey Johnson, and brothers Harley Jr. and Alan Rice
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday February 27, 2018 at the New Oak Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, IN.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Betty’s honor to: Ovarian Cancer Support Group, 6842 Hartsworth Drive, Lakeland, FL 33813.