Betty J. "Bets" (Mattern) Brenneman

Betty J. “Bets” Brenneman

January 3, 1929 ~ December 22, 2022

Betty J. “Bets” Brenneman, 93, of Canoe Creek, rural Hollidaysburg, went home to be with her Lord, Thursday evening, December 22, 2022, at Penn Highlands Hospital, Tyrone.

She was born at her home in Canoe Creek, daughter of the late Glenn H. and Anna Belle (Shinafelt) Mattern. On November 22,1947, she married Charles M. “Chick” Brenneman at the Canoe Creek United Methodist Church.

Surviving are her beloved husband, “Chickie” of 75 years; three children: Charles A. “Butch” Brenneman (Marie) of Hollidaysburg, PA; Beth E. O’Dowd (Daniel) of Houston, TX; and Daniel L. Brenneman (Mary) of Drums, PA; six grandchildren: Scott Brenneman (Lisa), Nicki Beauchamp (Michael), Ben Brenneman (Meghan), Charlie Brenneman (Amanda), Michael O’Dowd, and Matthew O’Dowd; 20 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Kay L. Biddle, of Martinsburg, PA.

Betty was preceded in death by her brother, William Mattern, and her sister, Marjorie Ann Mumaugh.

She was a 1946 graduate of Hollidaysburg Area School District, where she participated with the girls’ basketball team. Betty would go on to work as a cafeteria worker at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School for close to thirty years. While there, she made it a point to get to know the kids she fed and enjoyed the back-and-forth banter that happened often.

She was a faithful member of Canoe Creek United Methodist Church, where she played piano for Sunday services. Betty was also a member of the Williamsburg Farm Show Association and a longtime, active member of the former Scotch Valley Grange. For many years, Betty and Chick would attend the State Grange Convention, which was held in Harrisburg.

Betty had an inner work ethic that kept her on the move constantly; she loved working in her garden, being outside, and watching wildlife.  While she enjoyed doing so many things, spending time with her family and friends is what truly made her smile.  Whether she was “mum,” “Nam,” “Aunt Bets,” “Mrs. B.,” or Betty, she spent a lifetime filling our hearts with memories, our minds with life lessons, and, most definitely, our bellies with pies, dumplings, and noodles.  Her long life allowed for even her great-grandchildren to experience these blessings and come to know their “Namie Bets.”  And, although our hearts hurt with losing her, we are warmed at the thought of her walking through the gates of Heaven during this most blessed season.

Friends will be received from 5-8pm, Monday, January 2, 2023, at John K. Bolger Funeral Home Inc., Williamsburg, and from 10-11am, Tuesday, January 3, 2023, where a celebration of her life, on her birthday, will follow at 11am. Private interment will be held at New Canoe Creek Cemetery, rural Hollidaysburg.

Memorial contributions in memory of Betty may be given to your favorite local charity.

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