Betty Mae Necklason was born on July 9, 1934, to Claude and Gladys (Reynolds) Nussbaum, in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. She was the only girl in this family of nine children, and she used to say that her dad joked that she ruined his baseball team. Growing up with eight brothers and losing her own mom when she was only four, made our mom a strong, independent woman – a characteristic she passed on to us.
Betty went through school in the Pine Bluffs area and graduated from Pine Bluffs High School in 1952. While visiting her brothers, Bink and Swede, in the Sundance area, Betty met a young, handsome rancher by the name of Jack Necklason. They were married January 30, 1954, and made their home on the family’s ranch near Inyan Kara Mountain on HWY 585. On that ranch, they raise five “ranch hands” – Steve, Collen, Tommy, Sally, and Nancy. Our mom was the epitome of a rancher’s wife, working from dawn to nightfall milking cows, feeding the chickens and livestock, tending the garden, baking bread, canning endlessly, doing the laundry and somehow always had time to make three hearty meals a day. Mom also helped out in the fields, harrowing or discing, while Dad and the boys were doing other work on the ranch. During calving season, mom was up checking cows alongside our dad. She could tell a cow/calf pair from a mile away. Every fall, mom would go on “vacation” to the Tetons elk hunting. Whether they got an elk or not, mom and dad always brought us home a new set of salt and pepper shakers – which we loved!
Mom always made sure we had Christmas, even in those lean years, with presents under the tree and in the stockings. Every birthday, we celebrated with a homemade angel food cake with enough candles that all of us got the chance to blow them out. Mom was our greatest cheerleader, never missing a match, especially those state wrestling and volleyball matches. She was our 4-H leader and rode us constantly to get our projects finished, our steers halter broke, and our sheep clipped in time for the county fair. Mom loved to read, watching sports on TV, and spending time with her family. Mom and dad made that ranch pay off and raised all five of us successfully.
In 1997, Dad passed away and after another winter on the ranch, Mom moved to town; although she didn’t give up the ranch life entirely. She still went out to feed her cat herd, mow the grass, and just keep an eye on the place. She found her soul mate in Mervin Peterson and the two became constant companions. Mom and Merv went to rodeos, bull riding contests, and traveled to see family in far away places like Arizona. They spent every day together, even mom’s last day here on earth. They brought joy and happiness to each other’s lives, which we are so grateful for. Mom passed away June 18 at the age of 90 at the Sundance Nursing Home. She was met in Heaven by her parents, her eight brothers, our dad, and our sister, Colleen. Left mourning her passing are Mervin; sons, Steve (Lisa) and Tommy (Joanne); daughters, Sally (Dimas) and Nancy (Ray); 12 grandchildren, Jason, Cassie, Adam, Justa, Kendall, RC, Travis, Toby, Justin, Tuffy, Austin, and Sean; and 23 great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Mom’s memory to a charity of your choice.
