Betty "Betts" L. (Olson) Blackburn

Betty (Betts) Blackburn, age 84, passed away on August 30 at her home at Oak Park Place Assisted Living in Baraboo surrounded by her family.

Betty was born on August 12,1938. She was the daughter of Clifford and Helen (Carlton) Olson. Betty graduated from Necedah High School in 1956. She was united in marriage to Raymond Blackburn on October 13,1956 at the United Methodist Church in Necedah and enjoyed 65 years of marriage before her passing.

While growing up in Necedah she worked as a telephone operator for Junction City Telephone Company which was managed by her parents. After marriage, Ray and Betty owned and operated the family farm for over 20 years. After selling the farm they moved to Mauston where she worked for Nelson's Hallmark Card and Gift Shop. In 1973 she purchased the business, and it was given the name Blackburn's House of Cards. It was known as the pretty shop on the corner in downtown Mauston. After selling the business they moved to Tomah where she was a buyer and manager at Burnstad's European Village for several years. She loved the buying trips for the store. Her favorite was a trip to New York. In 2010 they retired and moved to Baraboo to be closer to family.

Ray and Betty enjoyed traveling together, including winters in South Carolina with daughter Kimberly and her husband John. They kept a lifelong promise to one another to travel to England and Norway and from Canada to Mexico. Betty loved taking pictures of her family and friends. She wanted to capture every special moment so she could look back on them. She also had a talent for making every holiday or special event extra special with her beautifully wrapped gifts, hand-made bows and the perfect greeting card. She was a kind, caring, soft spoken lady with beautiful style. Despite how her body felt, she got up every day and looked her best.

Betty is survived by her husband Raymond; children Faye (Don) Hubele, Ray (Debbie) Blackburn, Kimberly (John) Tonjes, Clint (Kari) Blackburn; grandchildren Michelle (Ben) Hinojosa, Jazmyn DeBerge, Brad (Hannah) Hubele, Levon Blackburn; great-grandchildren Cameron (Danielle) St Mary, Colton (Brittany) St Mary, Vincent DeBerge, Izzy DeBerge, Jaxon Hinojosa, Dominic Hubele, baby boy Hubele due in December; great-great grandchildren Lila and Layton St Mary and Turner and Hallie St Mary. Betty is also survived by her brother Dwayne (Vada) Olson and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents Clifford and Helen Olson; son-in-law John Tonjes; father-in-law and mother-in-law Charles and Vera Blackburn; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Don and Inez Holy; nephew Charles Holy.

The family has chosen to have a private family gathering to celebrate her memories. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to michaeljfox.org for Parkinson's disease research.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to all the caregivers and staff at Oak Park Place Assisted Living in Baraboo. We appreciate all the love and care they have given to our mom. The family would also like to thank Agrace Hospice Care. Their comforting care to mom and our family was a blessing to all of us. And thank you to Dr. Hannah, SSM Health and Dr. Shannon, UW Neurology for the years of care.

The family is assisted by Hare Funeral Home of New Lisbon.

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