Betty Mae (Kraus) Kulper

Betty Mae (Kraus) Kulper, 87, of Garber, Iowa, passed peacefully to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, April 14, 2017, while residing at the Edgewood Convalescent Home.  Betty fought a courageous battle with kidney failure, never giving up on her dialysis sessions until the very end.  She “fought the good fight”!

Betty was born on July 8, 1929, the daughter of LeRoy and Hilda (Gottschalk) Kraus and was raised in the Garber Elkport community.  She attended country school at Volga #2 and the Littleport High School.

On January 7, 1946, Betty was united in marriage to Lole Kulper, and together they farmed in the Garber area until Lole’s death in December 2012.  Betty was a devoted member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elkport and Hope Lutheran Church of Littleport.  She served in various capacities in the church, always volunteering for whatever was needed.

Betty loved the farm life, gardening and flowers, and her artistic abilities.  She belonged to the Eastern Iowa Artist Association and the Clayton County Artist Association. Betty was recognized for her many paintings of historical buildings and landscapes in our area.  She loved composing poems that corresponded with her paintings and drawings. Betty enjoyed her sewing machine, making quilts and clothing and dolls of all kinds, some of which are on display at the doll museum in Strawberry Point. She also enjoyed making goats milk soap in all different sizes, shapes, and fragrances.  She shared them with everyone.  Betty was devoted to her family, never turning anyone down, whether it was for babysitting, painting, cleaning, cooking, or whatever.  She was always there for us all.

Surviving to mourn her passing are her four children, Beverly (Gary) Bahls of Guttenberg, Dennis Kulper and Rodney (Jill) Kulper, all of Garber, and Kevin Kulper of Guttenberg; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband, Lole Kulper.

Our family would like to thank the staff at the Edgewood Convalescent Home facility for the excellent care they gave to our mother.  Thanks also goes to the staff at the Dialysis Center in Manchester for her five years of treatment, to Pastor Margaret Yackel-Juleen, and to Vicar Clark Baldwin for all of their help.

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