Betty Jean Liming Stanley, 100, of Oskaloosa, died Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the Oskaloosa Care Center in Oskaloosa. Betty was born June 9, 1925, in New Sharon, Iowa, to Esther Adkins Liming and Charles Bates Liming. Her early education was in the New Sharon schools where she graduated with the class of 1942. She attended William Penn College from 1942-1944. On June 25, 1944, she was united in marriage to Jack Stanley, who had been her high school sweetheart. He was serving in the Navy and was home on a 30 day leave after having spent three and one-half years in the South Pacific. He was stationed on the battleship USS Maryland throughout the war.
When Jack was discharged from the Navy in 1945, he enrolled in the college under the GI bill. Betty taught school to make ends meet. Following Jack’s graduation, Betty continued her own education which had been postponed when she and Jack married. She received her BA from Central College in 1952 and her MA degree from Drake University in 1967. During her time at William Penn, Betty and Jack invited her niece Dianne to live with them. Betty was a lifelong learner and educator. She used every opportunity available to seek a better understanding of the people and places in her world. She especially enjoyed auditing college classes and sharing experiences with bright young minds in an academic setting. Her maturity and wisdom were assets in these classes. Jack and Betty were world travelers but coming home gave them a renewed joy in being citizens of the United States.
Betty retired from teaching in 1987; her career included thirty-six years at Grant Elementary in Oskaloosa. Her classroom was an exciting place for children to learn. She employed creative methods in her teaching and made learning meaningful for life situations. Doing your best and being a good citizen were values she stressed.
Betty was a 60-plus year member of the First Christian Church. She served as a Sunday School teacher, deaconess, Elder, and was on numerous committees as needed. There were always new avenues of service-related church activities to share. Betty also belonged to PEO Chapter NN, the Delta Kappa Gamma teacher’s society and the Questers.
Special hobbies for Betty were collecting antiques and traveling. A third area she enjoyed was working in her yard. Establishing a perennial garden at the duplex where she moved in 2012 was one of her first priorities. She moved from the Historic Old Brick after 41 years. It was a challenge to move from a house built in 1853 to a new duplex. The transition went easily and Betty was peaceful and content in her new home. In recent years her home was Homestead Assisted Living. Here she renewed old friendships and made new friends. As her care needs increased, she moved to Oskaloosa Care Center where she received love and compassionate care from the staff there.
Betty is survived by her sister-in-law, Shirley Liming of Springfield, Ohio; her nephew, John Liming and his wife Juli; great nieces, Sarah and Katherine Liming all of Ohio; niece, Dianne Stanley of Keokuk; as well as cousins, many close friends, and former students in Oskaloosa. Her church friends were an important part of her life, especially since Jack’s death in 2003.
Betty was preceded in death by her husband Jack Stanley on December 11, 2003; her mother, Esther Liming; brother, A.J. Liming; and her grandmother Ora Adkins.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the First Christian Church in Oskaloosa with Reverends Robert and Molly Goodrich officiating. Burial will be in the Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will begin Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the First Christian Church and will continue until service time at 11:00 a.m. Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church or the MHP Hospice Serenity House.
