Betty Lou Helen Stralow

Betty Lou Helen (Schmitt, Stone) Stralow, age 90, died on July 11, 2025 in Madison WI. She was born on July 18, 1934 to Richard & Martha (Geleng) Schmitt in Chicago IL.

Pre-deceased by husbands Reverend Robert (Bob) Stone, Jr., and Donald (Don) Stralow; son John; Daughter Kathryn (Kathi) Biller; daughter-in-law Shannon (McMullen); her mother and father; brother Bob; sisters Eleanor (Sis) and Lois.

Survived by sons Robert & Deborah (Port) and David; daughter Deborah & Christopher Boles; grandchildren Raechel & Daryl, Rebecca & David, Luke, Robert, Andrew, Danielle & Erich, Michael & Haley, Chad, Cassandra, Ashley & Tyrell, Heather and Michelle and great-grandchildren Elijah and Oliver; many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews and great grand-nieces and great grand-nephews.

She attended secretarial school after graduating from Steinmetz High School in 1949. She was President of her local Luther League. While helping to assemble the newsletter, she met her first husband, Bob Stone, who was attending seminary school at Carthage College. They were married on May 26, 1956. Their first son was born in 1959 followed by two more sons and two daughters in the next 5 years. After a few years, they finally settled in Morrison, IL at Bethesda Lutheran Church in 1966.

Betty became very involved in the Morrison Music Theatre Association, both as a cast member and later on as a director. She joined the church choir where she shared her beautiful soprao voice, and served as choir director for a number of years, also singing solos on occasion. She shared her love of music with her children and many long car rides went by quickly as everyone sang the miles away. She was very active in the church group Women of Bethesda (WELCA - Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) where she served as secretary and president. She was also the president of the PTA.

After nursing her first husband through kidney failure, where she learned how to operate a dialysis machine in their home, he died on July 9, 1974. A month later she rented and learned to drive a 27 foot RV, and took the 5 children on a two week vacation to the Wisconsin Dells so they could all deal with the loss of their father in private.

Later that year she began dating Don Stralow, who was a member of Bethesda and the church council president. They were married on August 2, 1975.

After her children married or moved on with their adult lives she became involved with Clown Ministry as the mute clown Flutterbye, entertaining and sharing Jesus’s good news with many other congregations as part of a group of clowns.

Her job history includes being part of a secretarial pool for a large company, a secretary at Whiteside County Special Education and at a law firm. She worked for Pinkerton Security (complete with a badge!) at the local JCPenny store to help catch shoplifters, then back to being a secretary at the Whiteside County Health Department. She retired from that job, but not being one to sit around, she began working with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Prison Ministry for the Storybook project, arranging volunteers to go into first a women’s prison and later a men’s prison (both medium security) to audio tape prisoners reading a storybook to be sent to important children in their lives.

A public celebration of life service will be held on August 23, 2025 at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 301 West South Street, Morrison IL. Visitation/sharing time will begin at 9:30am with the service starting at 11:00am. Luncheon will follow in the church basement. In keeping with the celebration theme the family asks you to consider wearing a happy color to the event.(Her favorite color is blue)

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Agrace Hospice of Madison either by check payable to “Agrace Foundation” and mailing it to Agrace Foundation, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or go to their website https://www.agrace.org/donate/

If needed for your donation, their EIN (tax ID) is 30-0001703

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

1310 Emerald Terrace, Sun Prairie

(608) 837-9054