Betty Jean Galen

Betty Jean (Oehmke) Galen passed away on April 7, 2020, at the age of 89.  Her memorial service is being held Sunday, August 15, 2021, at 2 pm at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Seward.  A reception will follow in the St. John’s Fellowship Hall.

Betty was born in Fraser, Michigan, in 1930, the third of six children of Gus and Catherine (Lardner) Oehmke. She is survived by two siblings: sister Joyce and her husband Jerry Cornelissen in West Lafayette, IN; and her brother Dave and his wife Julie Oehmke in Brentwood, TN.  Her brother Don Oehmke died in 2011; her brother Jerry Oehmke and his wife Bea both died in 2020;  and an infant brother Richard Oehmke died shortly after his birth.

Betty was a 1948 graduate of Fraser High School, and graduated from Concordia College in River Forest, IL, in 1959.  She married William Galen in 1961 after they met in a church choir in the Chicago area.  Following the wedding, they moved to Seward where Bill took a position as professor of vocal music at Concordia College.  Betty and Bill had two children: Christopher Galen and his wife Adele Logan-Galen, who with their children Grace and Gavin Galen live in Annandale, VA; and Luke Galen of Grand Rapids, MI.  Her husband Bill passed away in 1994.

Music was a focal point of their lives, bringing Betty and Bill together at the start of their relationship in Chicago, and later through their involvement with both Concordia and the St. John’s church choir.  When Bill retired from Concordia in 1983, Betty began teaching many of his voice classes at the college. 

Betty retired from Concordia in the early 2000s, to devote more time to visiting her grandchildren, and to traveling the nation and the world.  She was a proud and active member of the Seward Women’s Club for five decades, and was past president of both the Seward chapter as well as past president of District 4 Nebraska Federation of Women's Clubs.  She was also a long-time board member of Seward Arts Council, helping with many projects and presentations, and actively involved in many aspects of the St. John’s congregation.

Betty was blessed with a relentlessly upbeat personality, a quick smile, and boundless energy.  She loved music, reading, cookie baking, pets, and helping others learn and grow.  She appreciated her many blessings including great health (until very late in life), many friends, her family, and being able to make a difference through nearly 60 years involvement at St. John’s, Concordia, and the Seward community.

MEMORIALS IN CARE OF GALEN FAMILY.

If you cannot attend the service we invite you to worship with us by live streaming on YouTube "St. John Seward Live stream".

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty Jean Galen, please visit our floral store.