Betty passed away Friday, March 25, 2022, at Valley Vue Care Center in Armstrong, Iowa. Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Fairmont is assisting the family with arrangements.

Elizabeth Jean (Kerns) Thate was born Oct. 6, 1930, in Fairmont, Minn. She was the daughter of Lynn and Katie (Krumholz) Kerns. She attended school in Fairmont and graduated from Fairmont High School in 1948. As a young teenager, Betty sang as part of a trio with her sisters, Marcia and Barbara in the Lynn Kerns Rhythm Club Orchestra; a dance band owned and operated by her father. The trio won a county talent competition with two selections arranged for them by their dad. On Feb. 21, 1950, Betty was united in marriage to Kenneth E. Thate in Edina, Minn. Together the couple would make their home near Fairmont, Welcome, and Granada before moving back to Fairmont, eventually moving to Ingleside and finally moving to Valley Vue Care Center in Armstrong in 2018. Betty and Ken were blessed with six children, Kevin, Rick, Karen, Sharon, Todd and Greg. They shared over sixty-nine years together before Ken passed away on July 11, 2019. While living in Granada, Betty served as secretary for First Congregational Church. She was also employed by the Granada American Legion. Betty started working for Kmart in Fairmont in October of 1990 where she became the manager of the electronic department until her retirement in 2009. Betty was a member of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Fairmont as well as the Martin County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1222 and Lee C. Prentice American Legion Post 36 auxiliaries. She was also a long-time member of the Rose Lake Thimble Club while they lived in rural Fairmont. During her free time, Betty enjoyed crocheting, reading, doing crossword puzzles and working on family genealogy. Left to cherish her memory include her children, Kevin Thate (Vanessa Kettner), Rick (Lisa) Thate, Karen Green, Sharon Thate (Darrell McCommon), Todd Thate, and Greg (Tiffany) Thate; grandchildren, Andy (Pheny), Josh, Dustin (Melissa), Dayton (Rilyn), Ryan (Jody), Tori, Jake (Sara), Jada, Corey, Rachel, Emma, and Carter; great-grandchildren, Lucy, Talin, Angel, Zoie, Makaylah, Veydah, Dawson, Blake, Lincoln, Addison, Quinn, Urijah, Khamari, Akina, Halie, Madilyn, Emma, Jaxson, and Trinity; siblings, Marcia Leverson, Mickey Theobald, Mary Kenworthy, Jerry (Mary) Kerns, and Dan (Bev) Kerns; sister-in-law, Doris Thate; many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. Along with her parents, Lynn and Katie Kerns, Betty was also preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Thate; daughter-in-law, Vicki Thate; granddaughter, Amy Leah Quade; great-granddaughter, Delilah Thate; parents-in-law, Ed and Emma Thate; sister, Barbara Meyer; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Rusty Leverson, Swede Theobald, and Bud Kenworthy, Don and Alvie Hegener, Phyllis and Bob Standal, Velma and Marv Grathwohl, and DuWayne Thate; many other relatives and friends. www.lakeviewfuneralhome.net

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