SCHIELE, Betty J.

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ September 11, 2008 Betty J. Schiele of White Mountain Lake, beloved wife, mother, sister-in-law and friend to many, died peacefully Sept. 6, 2008, at the Bannon Springs Ranch in Vernon, battling Alzheimer's disease to the very end. She was born March 26, 1935, to Ed E. and Irene (Teasdale) Weesner in Tyler, Texas. Betty grew up in Tyler and Houston, Texas, Seward, Neb., and Chico, Calif. After graduating from Chico High, she joined the Air Force in 1953. Her duty assignments were at Scott AFB, Ill., Tinker AFB, Okla., and Hamilton AFB, Calif. After having risen to the rank of staff sergeant in just two-and-a-half years, Betty met and married her Air Force husband, Bernhard, in 1958. She left the military when daughter Kimberley announced her arrival in 1959. With a growing family, she continued her studies at Kentfield Community College, and while her husband was serving in Vietnam, she attended El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., and then continued her studies at Arizona State University in Tempe where she received her bachelor's degree in 1970 and her master's degree in 1971. While teaching in the Department of Foreign Languages at Arizona State University, she was selected for a 1971-1972 Fulbright-Hayes Scholarship to the University of Margurg, Germany. She completed her advanced studies at the University of Margurg and the Schiller-Archives at Marbach, Germany. Returning to Tempe after her husband's retirement from the military, Betty taught German, Spanish and English, first in the Phoenix Union High School District at North High and Alhambra High until 1981, and then she continued to teach German and Spanish at Dobson High School in Mesa until her retirement in 1996. After relocating from Tempe to White Mountain Lake, Betty was active in community affairs and instrumental in the creation of beach facilities on the lake and a playground in the White Mountain Lake community. Betty will be remembered by many of her students, especially from Dobson High School, as "Frau Schiele." The annual trips to Europe and the fall trips to the Grand Canyon while hosting sister-city exchange schools from Berlin will remind many of a dynamic teacher who loved her students. Betty is survived by her husband of 50 years, Bernhard; daughters Kimberley and Karin; son Karl-Heinrich; and two granddaughters, Sarah and Alyssa. A memorial service will be held 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13, Owens Livingston Mortuary, White Mountain Chapel, 320 N. 9th Street, in Show Low. In lieu of flowers, help fight Alzheimer's disease. Contributions many be made in Betty J. Schiele's name to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, 201 Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905.