Betty Blanche Aaron

1930  –  2025

A life of Faith, Family, and Grace

With unwavering compassion and steadfast trust in God, Betty Blanche Aaron lived a life rich in faith, family, and friends. Betty embodied the principles of her faith, loving unconditionally, trusting God completely, and generously serving others with grace and gratitude. She led with her heart in all things, showing us how to embrace each day as a gift and every person. In Betty’s good company, all hardships were lessened, and every joy was increased. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Betty will long be remembered by those she so dearly loved.

Early Life and Family Roots

Born on April 21, 1930, in Lyons Falls, New York, Betty shared a birthday with Queen Elizabeth. The oldest of Reverand Michael and Mary Wasco’s two daughters, Betty grew up in River Falls, Wisconsin. Her father, a Pastor of the church in River Falls, was also a carpenter by trade who helped build many churches in Wisconsin. In his later years, he made beautiful condominium-like bird houses and continued to work and teach at the Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. Betty’s mother worked as a seamstress, making military uniforms for many years before becoming the head cook at Apostolic Bible Institute where she was fondly known as “Mom Wasco” by many, many students.

Betty and her sister Blanche enjoyed growing up in a loving home that was centered on faith and family traditions, including speaking Polish. While in elementary school, Betty could not even speak English, but over time, she learned the new language and graduated from high school with a strong command of English. Betty learned the fine art of fishing from her father, who loved to hunt and fish, but gave up hunting when his wife made a deal that if he would give up the guns, she would clean every fish he caught. He agreed, and Mary cleaned many, many fish. Betty and Blanche helped when the fish baskets were overflowing and quickly learned the art from their mom.

 

A Gift for Music and Ministry

From an early age, Betty loved music and learned to play the accordion with great skill. An accomplished musician, she also played the keyboard, piano, organ, and the bass fiddle. Because she wasn’t very tall, she found it was easier to play the bass part on the accordion than a big bass fiddle. Betty’s specialty was the accordion. She played in almost every church service and went on to be an accordion instructor.

After graduating from High School, Betty attended the Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she met the love of her life, fellow student W. Dale Aaron. Dale was from Carthage, Texas, and loved to fish! The couple began dating and soon set their hearts on building a future together.

After marrying in August of 1955, Betty devoted herself to creating a loving and supportive home for her husband and two children, serving the churches they were privileged to Pastor. Her daughter Melonee was born in 1959, and her son Stanley was born in 1967. Dale got a good deal by marrying a lady who knew how to not only catch and clean fish but also fry them up for many to enjoy. There were times when the fishing crew would come in late from the lake, and Betty would fry up fish for the bunch, no matter the time of day or night. When Betty and Dale lived by a lake for a couple of years, Betty was known to be out in the boat with Melonee, catching fish for supper while Dale was at work.

Faith Through Trials

Countless stories could be told of when Betty put her trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He never failed her. When her son was born, Betty was 37 years old. She went into labor two months early and had to deliver him naturally without any pain medications. Stan was born with Hyaline membrane disease, also known as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborns, a condition primarily affecting premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed and is caused by the lack of surfactants, leading to breathing difficulties. Uncertain whether Stanley was going to live, after delivering him, Betty never heard his first cry. Within a short time, his lips were turning blue, and he had to be rushed by ambulance to the Children’s Hospital in the Twin Cities. The doctor accompanied Stanley in the ambulance, and Betty was left alone because her husband had to follow the ambulance to bring the doctor back to River Falls. Betty never forgot being in her hospital room all alone, wondering if her precious baby boy was going to live. As she felt herself sinking into depression, she closed her eyes and began to pray and seek help from the God she loved. Moments later, when she opened her eyes, she saw her father sitting in the chair next to her bed. Though she was very close to her father, he had passed away six months earlier. Her father leaned forward with his elbow resting on his knee and said, “Betty, be not discouraged,” and he was gone. Betty believed God sent her an angel in the form of her father that day to encourage her.

The road to Stan’s recovery was a rough one. He was in the Children’s Hospital NICU and was so tiny that Dale’s wedding ring fit around his ankle. Though she visited every day, having never held him, Betty had prayed, “Lord, if you are going to take my son to be with you, please take him now before I have had a chance to hold him.” When Stan was over a month old, an older nurse asked Betty point blank, “Have you ever held your baby?” When Betty replied, “No, I haven’t,” the nurse told her to get ready because it was HER DAY to hold her son for the first time. Betty was filled with joy, feeling it was her answer from God that Stan would live and be okay. She trusted in God, and Stan was indeed okay. He is now 58 years old, married, has three sons, and three grandchildren. He has served in the United States Army and continues to work with the Military regarding aircraft around the world.

A Heart for People

Betty had a deep love for people. She and her husband shared the deep desire to help people know Jesus and live a holy life. She and Dale welcomed many bible school students into their home to live with them and train for their own ministries. Betty was well known for her creative teaching of ladies’ meetings, which made remembering the lessons she taught so easy.

Nothing was too big or too small for God not to take care of, and Betty trusted Him with everything. She kept her bible close and read it often and could frequently be found sitting at the kitchen table when the house was quiet. With the kids in school and her husband at the office, she sat with her bible and a box of cards. She prayed over friends and members of the congregation and would take out a card of encouragement and ask the Lord what she could write in the card that would encourage and be just what the person needed the day they found her card in their mailbox. There were many times when Melonee shared how great God is that Betty would stop her and say, “Honey, can we just stop for a minute and thank the Lord for his answering in this situation and thank Him for just being a great God?”

When Dale suffered a catastrophic horse accident, the surgeon carefully explained to Betty what the surgical team needed to do in response to Dale’s right leg having been shoved seven inches up into his hip socket, and his pelvic bone being broken in several places. When he was finished with his explanation, Betty took the doctor’s hands, held them in hers, and prayed over them, asking God to use the doctor and his skills that day to perform a successful surgery on her husband, whom she loved dearly. Surgery lasted several hours and was successful; Dale healed and was able to walk again. What a mighty God we serve.

Hospitality and Humor

Betty loved people and loved to cook for them. She loved watching cooking videos and had a treasured collection of recipes and cookbooks. An excellent cook, everyone benefited from her talents. She helped many new brides learn how to cook, and she created a delicious spread at the holidays. Her table was always beautifully set with her good china, lace tablecloths, and prize goblets. She learned her guests’ favorite dishes, and while she tried to make something they would each enjoy, truthfully, everything she made was amazing. There were always guests at the family table; many times, she invited people who did not have a place to go for a holiday dinner. She enjoyed sharing her home this way her entire life. When funds were slim, she prayed, and God provided. Many times, when she and Dale made plans to go out to dinner with guests, the guests would ask if Betty would just cook for them.

When her grandchildren came along, she embraced her new role with enthusiasm. There was nothing like spending time with her grands. Her daughter, Melonee, had two boys, Andrew and Anthony, and her son, Stan, had three boys: Tyler, Brent, and Chase. She loved, loved, loved her grandchildren! She would pick them up from school and take them to McDonald’s for French fries and a Coke, a special treat they all enjoyed. The boys never asked for it, but she loved to do it. One day, she didn’t have any money and knew the boys would be looking forward to a treat, so while she was waiting for them, she prayed that God would provide. When she looked up, there was something in the leaves in front of her car. She got out and quickly discovered money on the ground, enough to take the boys for French fries and a Coke. As she grew older, when the grandchildren came with their children to the Assisted Living apartment where she lived, she always wanted to show them off to her friends, the caregivers, and other guests. She was so proud to call them her family.

While her wisdom was great, she discovered there was much to learn about cars from her son. Stan loved restoring or fixing up fast old cars to race or own. One day, he came by to give her a ride in the car he had just finished. When he started the engine, it was loud like it was supposed to be. Hearing the throaty rumble, Betty said, “Stan, I don’t know a whole lot about cars, but when our car starts to sound like that, Dad says he will have to take it to the shop, and we probably need a new muffler. So, you may want to get that checked.”

As Betty lived to care for others, imagine her children’s surprise when they learned well after they were grown that she hid chocolates in her nightstand, next to the bed. After putting her kids to bed, she’d read a favorite Louis L’Amour book and indulged in a little chocolate reward!

A Legacy of Love

As we celebrate Betty’s beautiful life, may we find much comfort in the countless ways her legacy lives on in our own lives and our many treasured memories of the lovely woman we were so blessed to know. May we also find comfort in knowing that shortly before Betty passed, she shared with her daughter her final prayer, “I want to go in my sleep and wake up on the other side;” the prayer God lovingly answered.

In Loving Memory

Betty Blanche Aaron (nee Wasco)

Betty Blanche Aaron (nee Wasco) entered her rest Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the age of 95. Betty was preceded in death by her Loving Husband, Rev. W. Dale Aaron, and great-grandson, Clay Thompson.

She is the cherished mother of Melonee (Dan) Thompson and Stanley (Kari) Aaron. Loving grandmother of Andrew (Liz) Thompson, Brent (Taylor) Aaron, Anthony (Katie) Thompson, Tyler Aaron, and Chase Aaron, great-grandmother of Meghan Thompson, Emma Thompson, Lincoln Thompson, Beau Aaron, Finley Thompson, Beckham Aaron, Darcy Thompson, and Tenley Aaron. She is further survived by other relatives, her church family, and friends.

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