Betty Jean (Pace) Vertovec died peacefully on September 26, a few weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday. She was born September 7,1924, in Aitkin, Minnesota, to Faye Christine (Stephens) and Ira Albert Pace, Jr. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with her parents and younger sister, Shirley. She then moved to Elmhurst, IL, in her junior year of high school. She never forgot her dad’s transfer and the discomfort of a new school. After graduating York High School, she went to Elmhurst College for two years where she met her future husband, Edward Joseph Vertovec. During World War II, Betty worked as a chemist. After the war, she returned to college at University of Illinois- Champaign. There she enjoyed being a Tri Delt and graduated with a degree in chemistry.
Betty and Ed, her beloved husband of 67 years, raised four children in Elmhurst: Kristine (Glenn) Rosenberger, Joe (Nancy Ebaugh) Vertovec, Mary Vertovec, and Ann (David Audley) Vertovec. She volunteered at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and at local schools. She was a competitive game player including duplicate bridge, golf, tennis and later mahjong and many other games.
Betty was dearly loved by her children and her grandchildren: Tiffani (Brian Alcock) McKenna, Brian (Torrie) Hargreaves, Allison (Allen) Dejan, Chris (Amanda Merkwae) Vertovec, Hannah (Forrest Pennock) Vertovec, Samuel (Taylor) Audley, Jordan (Autumn) Welty, Benjamin (Jessica) Audley, and Wilfred Audley, along with her great grandchildren: Hope McKenna, Collin and Andrew Hargreaves, Vivienne Dejan, Olivia Audley, and a future Welty. Betty wrote, “I was lucky to have found such another gentle man (like my dad) in my husband and together we made a lovely family which we loved with all our hearts.” She was a truly elegant, dignified lady from the bygone era of the Great Depression and World War II. Per her wishes, the service will be private as Betty felt nearly all her contemporaries had passed. This thoughtful, intelligent, sophisticated matriarch will be sorely missed by her family and friends. To honor her love of birds, her family has selected The National Audubon Society for those considering a charitable donation.
