Beatrice “Betty” Edwards Whittaker, born Aug. 20, 1917, in Madison, Wis., to Frank and Beatrice Edwards, gently passed away after a brief illness on May 3, 2014, in Lynden, Wash.

When she was 18 months old, a train hit the family’s Model T Ford and fatally injured her mother.

Despite this rough start, which also included a bout of polio at age 8, she went on to greatly enrich the lives of all who knew her.

Raised by her father and stepmother, as well as her grandmother in Fort Atkinson, Betty attended Whitewater State Teachers’ College, graduating with a degree in business education.

Her first position was two years of teaching high school in the small farm town of Melrose. In 1942, she escaped the cold Wisconsin winters and followed an aunt to sunny Southern California. Betty especially loved being part of the building of Liberty Ships and rubbing shoulders with the movie stars who attended the launchings.

Through the introduction of a mutual friend, Betty met and married ex-Navy officer, Texaco chemist and amateur orchid grower Horace E. Whittaker in June 1951.

Together, they raised two sons, David and Brian. She eventually resumed teaching business education at the local junior college and evening classes at the nearby high school.

Eighteen years later, the family moved to Carpinteria, Calif., where she and Horace took on the fresh challenge of operating an avocado orchard, expanding it to include semi-tropical fruits as well as kiwi fruit, a new crop in that region.

While in Carpinteria, she successfully operated her own business, selling Neo-Life vitamins, and was active in the Forest Home Christian Women’s Auxiliary, Soroptimist International and the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History.

In 1988, Betty and Horace sold the “ranch” and moved to Oak Harbor to be closer to family.

There, she and Horace continued their love of all things horticultural by turning the undeveloped ground around their house into a garden paradise, incorporating a great variety of flora in with ponds, bridges and arbors.

They were involved in activities at First Reformed Church, the Whidbey Island Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society and Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens.

Horace passed away suddenly in 1998, and in 2007, Betty moved to Lynden. She lived at Meadow Greens Retirement Community and greatly enjoyed the new friends she made there and through Third Christian Reformed Church.

She is survived by David and Deborah Whittaker of North Hollywood, Calif.; Brian and Patty Whittaker of Ferndale, Wash.; grandchildren Paul (Marisa), David and Karin (Nathan); and great-grandchildren Nate and Cora. Throughout her long and full life, Betty expressed endless enthusiasm for all that is good in people and daily demonstrated how to live in grace.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Betty’s favorite charities: World Vision, Doctors without Borders, Christian Broadcasting Network and Prison Fellowship. A memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2014, at the Third Christian Reformed Church in Lynden.

You may share your thoughts and memories of Betty in the online guest book at www.farewelltributes.com Arrangements are through Moles Farewell Tributes in Lynden.