Bertha Louise “ Betty” Pillera Galloway, 93, of Belding passed away Friday evening, December 7, 2018 at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. Betty was born to Clayton and Florence ( Sloan) Baker on June 22, 1925, their 4th child born on the family farmhouse near Smyrna. She grew up during the great depression and knew what hard work was, helping her father on the farm, picking up potatoes, hauling hay, cutting wood and filling the silo.
She went to country school, ( Hoppough School) which had fourteen students. She loved school and was a good student. After grade school Betty went to Belding High School and later graduated sixth in her class.
Betty always wanted to be a nurse and after graduating high school she was accepted as a student nurse by Butterworth Hospital. She was a cadet nurse and was proud of the uniform during World War II. Betty was proud of many things, especially her children, their intelligence and scholastic achievements.
She was also proud of her own scholastic achievements as a student nurse, graduating with honors. During nursing school she was sent to Detroit two times, first to attend Wayne State University and second to work in a contagious disease hospital. Betty loved to dance and while on her second trip she went to the Greystone ballroom and met the handsomest man she had ever seen.
He asked her to dance and they were married six months later. Betty was adept at photography and won 50 awards, including one from the International Library of Photography. Betty worked in many places during her years of employment, including Butterworth Hospital, Gibson Refrigeration, United Memorial Hospital for 22 years, Federal Mogul Corp.
for 10 years, Reynold Metals in Grand Rapids for 3 years and Riverside Correctional Facility Psychiatric Unit. While working at Federal Mogul she met Marion Galloway, a bearings inspector. He was known as a “really nice guy” at the shop.
They were married for 45 years. Betty was also interested in genealogy. She and Marion spent considerable time and effort researching her father’s lineage, going back to old Ireland and the Vikings.
Marion loved to travel and they visited many places during their marriage; Florida, California, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, the eastern United States and 7 countries in Europe. Betty was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Helen Lockwood; a nephew, Harvey Lockwood; a half-brother, Clayton Baker Jr. Betty is survived by 2 children, Sandra Pillera and Ted Pillera and family, 2 step-children, Linda Bush and family and John Galloway and family, family of Clayton Baker Jr. Funeral services for Betty Galloway will be held Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at 11:00 AM at Shiloh Community Church, Orleans with Pastor Ken Harger officiation. Visitation will be one hour before the service.
Interment will be in Smyrna Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given to Shiloh Community Church or a charity of one’s choice. Envelopes are available at the church or Johnson-Feuerstein Funeral Home, Belding who has been entrusted with arrangements.
Messages of condolence may be offered on the funeral home website, www. jffh.com.
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