Elizabeth (Betty) Griebat

Elizabeth (Betty) Jean Griebat, 78, of Hiawatha, Kansas, passed away at her home surrounded by her children on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.
Mass of a Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am May 18, 2021, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, with burial to follow in Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a rosary recited at 6:00 pm, Monday evening, May 17, 2021. The family will receive friends from 6:30 – 8:00 pm following the rosary at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home at 124 S 7th Street in Hiawatha, Kansas. Masks are recommended but not required. Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 am. Monday.
Betty was born on October 5, 1942, to Richard Meiners Sr. and Helen (Joergens) Meiners at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO. Betty spent her childhood in Lenexa, KS and then moved to Falls City, NE, when her father was transferred with Wilde Tool Company from Kansas City to Hiawatha in 1957. Betty graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Falls City in 1961. She met her husband Joe Griebat of Morrill, KS, in 1963. They married on June 20, 1964, and made their home in Morrill for four years before moving to Hiawatha in 1968. Betty attended Highland Community College and then went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Missouri Western State College in 1980. She earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in reading from Emporia State University in 1991. Betty taught for 37 years at Hiawatha Elementary School, primarily as a Title 1 reading teacher for first through fourth grades. She loved teaching children to read and was passionate about her work. A feature of the Title 1 program was reading conferences, which she attended all around the country. Betty spent her entire career teaching at USD 415 School District until her retirement in May 2016.
Betty was a member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Hiawatha. She was a devoted Catholic who practiced her faith daily. She was a member of St. Ann’s Altar Society and a Eucharistic minister. She was a member of the Kansas Association of Retired School Personnel, Morrill Public Library Board of Directors, Saturday Club and played in several bridge card clubs. Betty loved spending time with her family and attending her grandchildren’s activities. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed many clothes for her children when they were young. Betty spent several years as a wonderful caregiver for her husband Joe and then her mother, Helen, prior to their deaths. Betty enjoyed exercising at Highland Community College and walked two miles nearly every day until recently. She also enjoyed spending time and visiting with her friends and neighbors.
Betty was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend to many. Betty is survived by her five children; Pam Grimes (Russ) of Kansas City, MO; Becky Dunster of Lenexa, KS; Joey (Teri Jo) of Mechanicsville, IA; John (Heidi) of St. Joseph, IL and Jeb of Chanute, KS. She is also survived by two brothers: Richard Meiners Jr. (Charlene) of Lenexa, KS and Ron Meiners (Sandy) of Montrose, CO, 12 grandchildren, two great-granddaughters and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe, November 2006, and her parents, Richard Meiners Sr., March 1970 and Helen (Joergens) Meiners, November 2015.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for those interested to send donations to Chapel Oaks Funeral home on behalf of either Freedom Hospice or Hope Brown County. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.chapeloaksfuneralhome.com, which is also the live streaming site.