Elizabeth Hazel "Betty" Lester

Elizabeth “Betty” Hazel Lester was called home to be with God on September 24, 2024, surrounded by the loving embrace of her family. Betty was born in Butte on July 11,1938 to Paul and Lena Jensen (Canonica). She grew up in Butte and loved Butte’s rich history and traditions. She attended St. Joseph's catholic school and later Girls Central Catholic High school graduating in 1956. She was a member of the band all 4 years and wanted to be a teacher. She later attended the University of Montana earning her Bachelor's Degree in Education and her teaching certificate. She also attended Western Montana College earning her Master’s Degree as a Counselor. She taught school for over 38 years in Butte at several schools including Immaculate Conception Elementary, Rocker One Room Schoolhouse, Kennedy Elementary, Greeley Elementary, and later became a school counselor for Butte School District #1. She was deeply in love with her high school sweetheart, Dr. Thomas (Tom) Lester, and they married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 9, 1958. Together they were “Tom & Betty” and they were inseparable. To their family and friends, they became the perfect example of enduring and unconditional love. After long careers in education in Butte they moved to Silver Star, Montana for retirement in the early 2000s. Betty had a way of telling you things that you needed to hear whether you wanted to hear them or not which allowed her to be an excellent mentor as well as educator. She touched the lives of hundreds of students over her career and was loved by many of her students and colleagues alike. She “retired” from the Butte School District in 2000 and then decided to substitute teach at Riverside Youth Correctional Center until 2013, enjoying her rides to Boulder from Silver Star. She also volunteered for the Butte School District and the Butte Archives. Betty loved to travel. Some of her favorite places included visiting her mother, Lena and sister, Paulette, in Portland, Oregon. She also loved traveling to Lincoln City, Oregon, to the coast. She participated in Bloomsday in Spokane and loved traveling there with friends. She took the trip of a lifetime to Locarno Valley on the Switzerland-Italy border to visit her family roots and toured Europe in 2018. She also loved traveling with her grandchildren, once taking them to Sturgis during the motorcycle rally. Betty loved to be creative. She loved to paint and spent many years painting ceramics and passing on her love of art to her grandchildren as well as her students. She loved to spend time in her garden out in Silver Star. At the end of the day, she loved spending time on her porch which had a tremendous view of the Tobacco Roots “watching the sun go up the mountains” with Tom or heading down to Happy Hour with her friends in Jefferson Acres. Her advice, tenacity, the twinkle in her eyes, and fierce spirit will be deeply missed. Betty is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Thomas Lester and her mother and father, Lena and Paul Jensen. She is survived by four children, Christine (Mike) Foran, Dennis (Johanna) Lester, Mike (Kathy) Lester, and Steve (Tracy) Lester. Grandchildren, Monica Matthiesen, Nate (Sara) Lester, Kayla (John) Lappin, Hillary (Scott) Athas, Patrick Foran, Kelci (Kevin) Garda, Jesse (Kate) Lester, Hunter Lester, Kegan Lester, Cooper Lester, Alexander Lester, and Mikaela Lester, and numerous Great Grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Paulette Foote and her nieces, Paularay, Candice and Dawn. Her funeral will be held at the Immaculate Conception Church on October 3, 2024. Rosary will be at 10:00 a.m. followed by the funeral mass at 11:00 a.m. A Reception at will be held at the Finlen Hotel immediately following the service. The family would like to thank the Big Sky Senior Living staff for the loving care given to Betty. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tom Lester Memorial Scholarship at Montana Tech. https://foundation.mtech.edu/

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Elizabeth Hazel "Betty" Lester

July 11, 1938 - September 24, 2024