Betty Marie Carhill

Betty Marie Carhill, age 95, of of Idaho Falls, Idaho  passed away on Saturday, June 22, 2024 in Chesterfield, Missouri. She was born in Newdale, Idaho on March 22, 1929 to Glen and Beatrice Thomas (nee Haws).

Betty grew up in financial hardship on a farm in Sugar City, Idaho. Experiencing the struggle of poverty at such a young age fueled her ambition and instilled in her a devotion to hard work and learning. It was in Sugar City that she learned how to make any meal from scratch off the top of her head. It was also here that she developed a life long passion for gardening as she would grow all the essentials for her meals and what was left over she would preserve in cans for the long winters. Betty passed her gardening traditions on to her family.

Betty graduated from Lincoln High School and then went on to attend some college at Utah State. She married William J. Carhill on September 7, 1949 and they would have three children, Sally, Michael, and Daniel. Betty started as a waitress at a local dinner club in Idaho Falls. Then Betty worked as an Assistant Bank Manager for Medical & Professional Credit Union. She retired from the Credit Union after 20 years of service and spent her retirement devoted to her family. Betty also enjoyed golfing, even scoring a hole-in-one and having a newspaper article written about her achievement. She loved gardening, camping, and hiking. Betty was also an avid traveler. She and her family had a travel bucket list and visited many places including Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona to visit family, California, Yellowstone National Park, Ireland and Las Vegas to name a few. All of Betty's grandchildren lived out of state but every summer they would go to stay with her in Idaho and she contributed to parenting a whole additional generation. Once retired, Betty and her husband, affectionately known as Grams and Gramps, took all of their grandchildren camping in their RV in Island Park, Idaho were they made everlasting memories by fishing and exploring the outdoors. Once Betty had dementia she moved first to Phoenix, Arizona and then to St. Louis, Missouri to live with family her last years.

Betty loved to sing and dance to Patsy Cline, often in her living room while teaching her kids to dust. She woke up every morning and did exercises with her husband on the floor. She was still walking up stairs and dancing just a few months before her passing. She was the supreme host for all extended family gatherings and was the true monarch of the clan. She entertained guests with her witty humor and her confidence and intelligence taught all of the Carhill women how to be self-sufficient and succeed on their own. She instilled in her whole family the Mormon faith by praying at every meal, baptizing them all at 8 years old, and taking them to services at the LDS church behind her cul-de-sec. Betty was a beloved mother, aunt, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. She will be dearly missed.

Betty is survived by her Daughter, Sally Jean Stoddard of Chesterfield, MO; Son, Michael Carhill of Marion, VA; Five grandchildren, Carly (Corey) Carhill-Anderson, Nikki (Isaac) Carhill, Beau (Darcy) Carhill, Jessica (Tim) Zyk, Yuri (Mike) Warren; and a host of other family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her Father, Glen Robert Thomas; Mother, Beatrice Mary Thomas; Son, Daniel Gary Carhill; Brother, R.C. Thomas; Three Sisters, Marilyn Thomas, Clarice Thomas Price, LaRue Standley.

A Celebration of Betty's Life will be held on July 3rd, 2025 at 1pm at Betty's favorite restaurant. Sandpiper on the Greenbelt in Idaho Falls, Idaho.