Betty and Ross Larson served with HCJB Global for many years, first in Ecuador and later in South Texas.

(Jan. 31, 2013 - by Ralph Kurtenbach) Time has passed and memories have faded, but when asked about his nursery schoolteacher, Chuck Howard pegged Betty Larson as "a cheerful, giving person who always thought of others and how she could encourage them to become all that God intended for them to become."

"She taught at what became the Humpty Dumpty Nursery School that my mother, Helen Howard, took over from her, if I recall correctly," said Chuck, who himself teaches at the Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador.

Born the 10th of 14 children to a family in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 20, 1922, Elizabeth Bernice Austin was raised in the Plymouth Brethren Church tradition and "knew her Bible well," according to her sister-in-law, Alice Austin, who had recently visited Betty.
 
"Betty was an excellent seamstress even in high school and tailored suits and coats," added Austin. Upon graduation she joined two sisters in Chicago where she attended Elmwood Park Church. Then in 1949 she traveled to Ecuador as an HCJB Global missionary along with Howard Jones and his family. Jones was a brother of the mission's co-founder, Clarence Jones.

In Ecuador, Betty met Ross Larson who had arrived in the country eight years earlier. The youngest brother of another co-founder, Reuben Larson, Ross was in Ecuador after military service and college had taken him away for several years. He and Betty were married in 1953.

Betty Larson (left) with her friend, Thelma Meneses, at the funeral of Betty's husband, Ross, in Weslaco, Texas, in 2001.

While Ross managed the business office, Betty taught missionary children. "Betty dearly loved children even though she never had any of her own," said retiree Jan Terwilliger. "She worked at the kindergarten at HCJB. She was such a lovely, lovely person."

Several years later the Larsons returned to Minnesota where Ross worked for another brother, Joe, at Larson Chevrolet in St. Paul. A friend, Thelma Meneses of the World Radio Network (WRN) in McAllen, Texas, tells of how the Larsons took up mission work a second time in Ecuador where people had been praying for their return.

While driving home from work and listening to Christian radio, Ross heard the announcer say, "There may even be a car salesperson today, driving, listening to this broadcast and feeling he is called to the mission field." He pulled over and told God that he and Betty would be willing to go back to Ecuador.

After Ross posted a "For Sale" sign in the yard of their home, a woman drove by the same day, saw it and bought the house. In 1959 the Larsons resumed their service in Ecuador where Betty returned to teaching in the preschool.

By late 1962 the Larsons were planning their second return to live in Minnesota, according to Doug Peters, who moved into the Quito home where they'd lived. In 1970 Betty founded Happy Time Preschool at what was then the Olivet Baptist Church in Robbinsdale, Minn. She directed the school for 12 years which became a happy haven for nearly 500 children who learned of Jesus and His love for them.

Continuing the Larsons' story, Glenn Lafitte said they "came to South Texas in the early 1980s when WRN (one of HCJB Global's cooperating ministries) was established." While Ross worked in accounting, Betty served as the receptionist and helped with miscellaneous needs.

Sometime in the 1990s the Larsons moved to John Knox Village, a retirement community in Weslaco, Texas, near WRN's headquarters where Lafitte serves as chief executive officer. Betty continued living at the retirement facility after Ross's death on Aug. 4, 2001.

At a 2003 gathering of HCJB Global staff members in Colorado Springs, Colo., then-senior vice president, Ben Cummings, offered that Ross, "like all the Larsons, had a great sense of humor, and they loved to entertain in their home."

"Ben and I always enjoyed her hospitality," added Cummings' widow, Mary Lee. "I admired her beautiful collection of blue-and-white Delftware dishes displayed around her kitchen and dining room."

Betty Larson 1922-2013

Mary Lee said that Betty "seemed to me to have a special place in the history of HCJB since she was married to Ross Larson, brother of the mission's co-founder."

Although Betty was described as being in poor health for a number of years, she was one of the mission's three retired women who in 2012 reached their 90th birthdays, according to Peters. (The others are Terwilliger and retired nurse Eleanor Boyes.)

In the last several years, Betty suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and she died peacefully the evening of Monday, Jan. 28, in Weslaco. As per arrangements she had made much earlier, her body was donated to science.

A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at WRN's headquarters (969 E. Thomas Rd., Pharr, Texas).

Source: HCJB Global