Mrs. Betty Lou Vais, age 86, of Exira, passed away on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, in Des Moines, IA.
Betty was born on a farm south of Exira on August 21, 1938, to Nellie (Jones) Brown and Harold Brown. She attended Old Carrolltown in Garrison, North Dakota, for a few years before returning to the Exira area, where she attended rural school and then Exira High School, graduating with the class of 1956. She worked at Equitable in Des Moines for two years, then returned home to Exira, where she married Raymond Vais on September 27, 1958. They purchased a farm east of Exira, where they continue to reside. They welcomed their daughter, Verla Rae, on August 13, 1974, which was a surprise to many. Betty worked hard on the farm alongside Raymond, milking cows and raising hogs and chickens until 1992, when she began working at Schafer Systems in Adair, retiring in 2002. Later, she moved to Des Moines to care for her three grandchildren, who were her pride and joy.
She loved watching her grandchildren play sports and cheering them on in everything they did. She also enjoyed her favorite TV shows, including I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, and Everybody Loves Raymond, and she cherished watching the Iowa State Cyclones as well. She was an avid reader of Indian stories and romances. She found immense joy in spotting the red cardinal or any songbird during the summer. She loved putting together puzzles and made one for each of her grandchildren. In 2009, she had the opportunity to travel with her family to Europe, touring Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Luxembourg, and France, where they did a lot of walking, which she said wore her legs out. She loved to travel, having visited all 49 continental states and their capitals, most of Canada, and even ventured past the Arctic Circle. She was a member of the St. John’s Catholic Women’s Society for many years, enjoying the chance to assist the ladies with church dinners and raising money along the interstate during the summer.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Nellie Brown; her sister, Bev Brown; her sister-in-law, Carol Brown; her uncles and aunts, Burnice and Ruby, Donald and Ann, Leland and Leora Jones; and many other family members and friends.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years Raymond Vais, her daughter Verla Rae Vais (Kevin Cunningham) and their children Christopher, Monica, and Meghan Cunningham all of Des Moines, Her brother Todd Brown of Exira his children Michael, Kimberly, and Teresa Brown and their children Ayden and MacKenzie Brown, Kael, Keeley, and Kaydee Pedersen and many other nieces and nephews. Some very special friends she met along the way: Shelli, Teresa, Angie, Samayah, and Ryanna.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, February 17, 2025, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Adair, with Fr. Ray Higgins as the Celebrant and Deacon Fred Cornwell as a Concelebrant. A luncheon will follow the mass in the Parish Hall of St. John’s Catholic Church. Burial will follow the luncheon at Exira Cemetery in Exira.
Visitation will be held one hour before the mass in the Parish Hall of St. John’s Catholic Church on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Funeral arrangements are handled with the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Exira.
