Betty Marshall

Betty J. Marshall, 88, of Crystal Lake passed away peacefully on November 27, 2015. She was born on January 18, 1927 in Fort Madison, IA, one of six children of Walter A. and Elsa (nee Goetsch) Frey. Betty married Hubert J. “Herb” Marshall on Nov. 19, 1950 and together they had celebrated their 60 year wedding anniversary until his death in 2010. Betty was a resident of Crystal Lake for 43 years. Singing was an early passion inspired by her mother and following high school Betty attended Grinnell College on a vocal scholarship. She and her husband Herb settled in Mason City, Iowa, where their four sons were born. Her son vividly recalls her soloing popular Broadway songs of the day to a large audience at a summer band shell concert in East Park, Mason City, around 1960. She became a lead soloist in a succession of church choirs as the family moved around the country, becoming a sought-after paid soloist in Kansas City as she helped raise four boys. A lifelong lover of books, she later was a long time employee of Browse Around Bookstore in Crystal Point Mall in Crystal Lake, before moving on to the Crystal Lake Public Library where she worked until retirement. Betty was also an avid gardener as well as a fan of NASCAR racing, specifically driver Jeff Gordon, who retired the same week she died, and she was also an ardent Anglophile and a big thrill was her trip to Great Britain in 1997. Betty is survived by her loving sons, Craig Marshall of Lake in the Hills and Todd (Cheryl) Marshall of Tower Lakes; and grandchildren, Megan Marshall of Woodstock, Erin Marshall of Elk Grove Village and Kelly (Peter) Edson of Elk Grove Village and great-grandchildren Alexander Edson, Emily Edson and Aidan Marshall. Betty was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Herb; her parents; two sons, Brian, in 2006 and David, in 2007. Visitation will be on Wednesday, December 9, from 4 p.m. until the time of funeral service at 7 p.m., at the Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. (Rte. 176), Crystal Lake. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Crystal Lake Public Library, 126 Paddock St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014 or the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011 Washington, DC 20090-6011. For information, please contact Davenport Family Funeral Home, 847-381-3411. For online condolences please visit, www.davenportfamily.com.