Obituary: Betsy Winifred Olsen

March 3, 1928 ~ March 19, 2022

Betsy (Bessie Winifred Scoggin) Olsen, age 94, died peacefully early Saturday morning, March 19, 2022, at Good Samaritan Society – Scandia Village in Sister Bay.

She was born March 3, 1928 in Zion, Illinois, the first child born to Elmer and Edith (Cunningham) Scoggin. On January 11, 1947, she married the love of her life, William Olsen of Waukegan, IL at Immanuel Baptist Church in Waukegan. During the ceremony, someone commented that their marriage wouldn’t last six months. This past January, they celebrated 75 years together.

They were blessed with two children, Rebecca and Barry. For 21 years, Betsy was employed at Great Lakes Naval Station and after retirement, she was employed at Waukegan Public Schools for six years as a bus aide for handicapped students. In 1991, Bill and Betsy moved to Sister Bay. She worked part-time at Chelsea Antiques and Krist’s Grocery Store.

The joy of Betsy’s life was her family. She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandsons, Josh and Matt, who spent a few summers in Door County with them and their great-grandsons. She and Bill were active members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Waukegan and later at First Baptist Church in Sister Bay.

Betsy is survived by her husband of 75 years, Bill; daughter, Rebecca Weiss; son, Barry (Pam), all of Sister Bay; grandsons, Joshua (James Dahlin) of Sacramento, CA and Matthew (Amy) of Hudson, WI; foster granddaughter, Laura (Brian) Wilson of Zanesville, OH; and three great-grandsons, Daniel, Joseph, and Samuel Olsen of Hudson, WI. She is further survived by her sisters, Delores Erickson of Zion, IL, Lois Scoggin of Sister Bay, Shirley (Al) Weinstein of Stevensville, MI, and Edith (Ray) Cain of Red Bay, AL; brother, Elmer of Beach Park, IL; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother and sister-in-law, William and Bonnie Scoggin; sister-in-law, Sandy Scoggin; brother-in-law, Harry Erickson; and son-in-law, Larry Weiss.

A memorial service to honor Betsy’s life will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Sister Bay. She will be laid to rest during a private ceremony at Little Sister Cemetery. 

The family requests no flowers and memorials to be made in her name to First Baptist Church.

Casperson Funeral Home of Sister Bay is assisting the family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Betsy may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.