Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Oliver Howard, affectionately known by family and friends as Betty, passed away on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at Life Care Center of Sparta.  She was 84 years old.

Betty was born September 11, 1937 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario to the late George and Edna Mayberry Oliver.  Growing up, she loved to experience the diverse food, language and traditions of the families who immigrated to town because of WWII.

She was a retired elementary school teacher, serving students in Ontario as well as various schools in Minnesota. After earning her teacher's certificate, her first job was in a rural one-room schoolhouse.  In between fetching water and stoking the fire, she managed to teach students of all ages at the same time.

She met her husband Jim while she was teaching at the North Bay Air Force Base, where he was enlisted.  They eventually moved to the States and settled in Minnesota.  To continue teaching there she needed her degree, so in her 40s she went back to university.  She loved being in the dorms with women half her age and graduated with honors.

Beyond her lifelong role as an educator, her love for children carried over in church ministry and volunteer work. This work included providing foster care and mentorship to at risk kids and serving as guardian ad litem.

Betty was deeply involved with her church, community, and neighborhood. She was very social and had a great sense of humor.  She could really tell a story and she kept her friends and daughters (and their friends) always wanting more. She was dearly loved and will be deeply missed.

In 2021, Betty and Jim moved to Tennessee to be close to their daughter  Carol, their grandson Nathan, and their three great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years Jim Howard of Sparta, TN, her two daughters Carol Wehage of Doyle, TN and Georgia Howard of Denver, CO, her grandson Nathan Wehage and his wife Leslie of Cookeville, TN, her great-grandchildren Vaughn, Campbell and Arlo Wehage, and her sister Georgina Oliver of Bracebridge, Ontario.

In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her grandson Jayme Lee Wehage.

Betty's family extends special thanks to the caring and compassionate staff at Havenwood Care Center of Bemidji, MN and Life Care Center of Sparta, TN.

Her life was celebrated by her immediate family.  Hunter Funeral Home in Sparta, TN assisted.