Betty Elaine Hartwell

Betty Elaine (Harwood) Hartwell, age 82, of Breckenridge, passed away at Pioneer Cottages Memory Care in Breckenridge on Monday, January 23, 2023. Her memorial service will take place Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Breckenridge, MN, at 1 p.m. A burial will be held in Morristown Cemetery in South Dakota at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge.

Betty Harwood was born on November 16, 1940, in North Lemmon, ND, to Lyle and Doris (Davis) Harwood. She was the second of four siblings and they grew up on their grandparent’s family farm and attended Country School Orange #2. They then moved to Dodge Center, MN, and she then continued her education in Wasioja, MN, and some high school education at Dodge Center, MN. She continued to live there and worked at a bakery in town. She participated in a blind date, after returning from Dodge Center, with a girlfriend of hers and met Art Hartwell and continued to get to know him at a number of dances they attended together. Art later rolled into Dodge Center, MN, on March 6, 1960, and the two were married on May 13, 1960 at a Methodist Church in Kasson, MN. They lived in Dodge Center, MN, Morristown, SD, Hebron, ND, and Breckenridge and in each town, Betty meticulously made each house feel like a home. Together they had six children, Janell, Brenda, Jim, Arthur Roy, Alberta, and Dick. Betty was an incredible mother and wife; she raised her children to know and honor the “golden rule” and did so by emulating it in all she did. In 1979, Betty began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses and proudly was a part-time minister and later, became a full-time minister which brought her great joy until her last days. She had a deep faith and was proud to share and bring her dear friend and sister into the faith.

Throughout the years, Betty enjoyed cooking, baking, singing, and dancing. In the warmer months, she loved to work in the garden. She was a hard worker and often could be found alongside Art putting together machinery, farming and bailing hay, and driving truck to numerous out of state places. She was the family’s matriarch and solid rock; she loved her family dearly. She brought her children along to many of the jobs she and Art would work on and the family dynamic was a well-oiled machine.

She will be deeply missed by her loving husband, Art Hartwell; children, Janell Hartwell, Brenda Hartwell, and James (Martina) Hartwell; 4 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother; Richard (Susan) Harwood; brother-in-law, Marvin Timm; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Betty is preceded in death by her children, Alberta Hartwell, Arthur Hartwell, Jr., and Dick Hartwell; parents, Lyle and Doris Harwood; and sisters, Alice Harwood Timm and Ruby Harwood.