Betty Louise (Thomas) Shryock, 90, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN. Betty was born May 15, 1927 in Biglerville, PA, the daughter of Noah and Katie Mae (Hawkins) Thomas. Following the untimely death of her birth mother, Betty was raised by her paternal grandmother, Julia Ann Clapper Thomas, affectionately known by her and her three siblings as “Grammy”. She attended Biglerville High School where she took home economics classes, was on the girls’ basketball team and in several musicals and graduated in May 1945. She picked apples and peaches in local orchards as a seasonal job. Betty continued her education by obtaining secretarial skills and graduated from Carlisle Commercial College. Soon afterward, she was employed at the U.S. Naval Supply Depot in Mt. Holly Springs, PA, advancing from clerk-typist to secretary. In August 1948 she met Robert (Bob) Shryock at the Firemans’ Carnival in Gettysburg, PA and was married on January 27, 1949 in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA. Bob and Betty lived in Gettysburg for a short time, then (shortly after Grammy’s death) in 1952 they moved to Toledo, OH, where Bob accepted a position as the bookstore manager at Toledo University and Betty was employed as a secretary at Rossford (OH) Ordnance Depot from 1953-1955. Bob and Betty moved to Sylvania, OH in 1954. Betty became a mother in 1955 with Thomas and in 1958 with Richard. Betty was actively engaged in raising the boys, gardening, and enjoying summertime family vacations to Gettysburg, Florida and many other destinations. She was an active volunteer at Olivet Lutheran Church, especially known for her ability to organize, cook and serve meals to large groups and, along with Bob, an active member of the Olivet Leisure League. She was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for her work at Lutheran Social Services where she knitted hundreds of caps for the homeless. Betty developed a close relationship with Al and Betty Kuhlman, their next-door dear neighbors in Sylvania, who taught Betty and Bob to play bridge, which led to many bridge club activities and friendships over the years. Betty took a job as a part-time bus tour guide upon Bob’s retirement in 1987. Betty also travelled with Bob to Hawai’i, Alaska and made several trips to Europe. In 2008, Betty moved with Bob into Wolf Creek Village in Holland, OH. In 2011, they moved to Westminster Village North in Indianapolis, IN to be closer to their son, Thomas, and his family.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband Robert (who passed away June 8, 2017). Of her three siblings, her sister Katie (Thomas) Crum and brother Roy Thomas passed recently; and she is survived by brother Earl Thomas. She is survived by her sons Richard (Sharon) and Thomas (Nancy) and their family – four granddaughters, Carolyn, Emily, Natalie, Anne Marie (Lindsey) Brown, and great-granddaughter Elaina Marie Brown.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio, 2149 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, OH, 43620 or www.lssnwo.org.

Betty’s cremains will be interred in the Garden of Peace at Olivet Lutheran Church in Sylvania, Ohio, along with those of Bob. A memorial service will be scheduled sometime in 2018.