Obituary for Betty Louise Robbins Shill Betty Louise Robbins Shill joined her sweetheart, Otto S. Shill, Jr., son Sterling and other cherished family members beyond the veil on December 3, 2018. She was 91½ years of age. Betty lived a life full of faith in God and of service to others.
She loved traveling and reading, especially studying the scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Genealogy and documenting ancestor histories was a life-long passion. She was an intelligent, strong and determined woman.
Despite suffering polio in her early 20’s that left her with permanent paralysis, she overcame her physical challenges to raise five children. Nothing better demonstrates her strength of character than her will to continue living through many illnesses to remain with her sweetheart and family. Betty’s greatest joy later in life came from spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She was entirely devoted to her family and is deeply loved and missed by all of us. Betty was born to Walter Arthur Robbins and Sophia Morris in Mesa, Arizona on May 14, 1927, and lived here most of her life. Walter worked for the Salt River Project, and during her younger childhood, she lived with her mother and father in Mormon Flats above Canyon Lake.
Betty’s mother passed away unexpectedly when Betty was only 8 years old, and she was initially cared for by Amy Carlin, her stepfather’s sister. However, when the Carlins moved to California, Betty joined her grandmother, Eliza Sarah Smith Morris in Mesa. Betty spent her younger teenage years in Tonto Basin with her Aunt Ruth Bowen Morris, who became a school teacher there.
Finally, Betty and her Aunt Ruth returned to Mesa to live with her Grandmother Morris to allow Betty to complete high school. After graduating from Mesa High School, Betty attended nursing school and was assigned as the school nurse at the Lehi School, north of Mesa. Later, she attended Arizona State University where she met her future husband, Otto S. Shill, Jr. Otto and Betty were married on December 27, 1950.
Following military service, school and medical residency in California, Kansas, Utah and Texas, they returned to Lehi, Arizona to raise their family. Otto and Betty served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jacksonville, Florida from 1995 to 1998, where they met many dear friends and missionaries whom they love. Otto and Betty have 5 children, Otto Shill III (JoAnna ), Sterling Shill (Holly ), Kimball Shill (Amber), Susan Nelson (Glendon) and Kristen Anderson (Ron), 28 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Betty is preceded in death by her sweetheart and husband of 65 years, Otto, and son, Sterling. Please join us to celebrate and remember Betty’s life and her commitment to her family and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will hold a viewing on Friday, December 7, 2018, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Meldrum Mortuary Chapel.
Funeral services will begin at 11:00 am Saturday, December 8, 2018 at the Lehi Stake Center, 1430 N. Grand Street, Mesa, AZ, preceded by a viewing beginning at 10:00 am. Interment at the Mesa City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Missionary Fund or the Humanitarian Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
(LDS.org/ldsphilanthropies.org) To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Betty Louise Robbins Shill please visit our Sympathy Store. Cemetery Details City of Mesa Cemetery 1212 N. Center St. Mesa, AZ, 85201 , Previous Events Visitation DEC 7. 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Meldrum Mortuary 52 N Macdonald Mesa, AZ, US, 85201 info@meldrummortuary.com www.
meldrummortuary.com Visitation DEC 8. 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Lehi Stake Center 1430 N. Grand Mesa, AZ, US Funeral Service DEC 8.
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