Bettie Lou O’Malley, 92, passed away Oct. 27, 2017. Beloved wife of over 60 years, cherished mother and adored teacher, Bettie Lou will be missed by all whose lives she touched.
She was born Dec. 27, 1924 in Grapeville, Pa., and graduated from DeVilbiss High School, Toledo, Ohio. Bettie Lou earned a B.A. in education at the University of Toledo, received two drama scholarships, and joined Alpha Omicron Pi, a prestigious international women’s sorority. She later took graduate courses at Avila University, Kansas City, Mo., and at the University of Kansas.

For more than 40 years, Bettie Lou taught in public and parochial schools in Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and Oregon. Bettie Lou used her boundless curiosity and her love for theater and teaching to educate and captivate thousands of grade school students. Among her many achievements and recognitions, she was among the first lay teachers at Catholic schools in the Midwest, and she taught herself Braille to teach blind and partially sighted children. After moving to Lake Oswego, she taught at St. Paul Parochial School, St. Clare School, and Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School before retiring in 1989.
Bettie Lou is survived by her husband, John; and sons, Michael and John.
A funeral Mass for Bettie Lou O’Malley will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, November 7, 2017, at Our Lady of the Lake Church, 650 A Street, Lake Oswego. A rosary service and viewing will be held at the church before the Mass. Burial will take place at 2 p.m., Sacred Heart Cemetery, 17201 Stafford Road, Lake Oswego.