Albert and Anna Betz

- St. Anthony, Indiana

 

People of Wisdom

Name: Albert and Anna Betz

Parish: St. Anthony Church, St. Anthony

Married, number of children: Married at St. Anthony Church on May 4, 1950; three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild

Tell us three things about yourself: Albert: I enjoy family and friends. I am not one to be the leader of a pack, so to say, but I do believe in doing my part and being honest. I believe that whatever you do, you should do it to the best of your ability. Anna: I enjoy my family and attending church activities.

How long have you been a member of your parish? Albert: 55 years. Anna: 75 years.

What form does stewardship take in your life? How do you give of your time, talent and treasure? Albert: I have held offices in the Holy Name Society and Parish Council. I am still an usher. I was a volunteer fireman at St. Anthony for 30 years. Anna: I served as the president of the Christian Mothers in the past and worked at the parish socials.

What was your first job and what did it pay? Albert: My first job was at the glove factory in Jasper. I was paid 40 cents an hour. Anna: I worked at the G.E. plant and was paid $1 an hour.

What was your childhood like? How many brothers and sisters did you have? Albert: I guess like most others, I lived on a farm and did jobs before and after school: milking, feeding, and carrying in wood in the winter. We had cows, horses, mules, hogs, chickens, etc. I had four brothers and eight sisters (one died in infancy, two died later in life, and two are nuns at Our Lady of Grace in Indianapolis). Anna: I am the youngest of nine children. We learned to share.

Who influenced you growing up? Albert: Both my mom and dad. Dad was very stern and strict, and Mom was an angel if there ever was one. She was patient and hard working, raising us kids. I never saw her mad. She was very easy-going. Anna: My mother. My father died when I was 6, so she was a father and mother to me.

What is a favorite childhood memory? Albert: Going to free shows outdoors on Thursday evenings and eating ice cream at Mom’s home place where Grandpa Miller lived. Anna: Christmas.

Who were your favorite singers/actors when you were young? Albert: I didn’t really have any. We didn’t have electricity until the 1940s, and I didn’t go to the movie theater until late in my teens. Anna: Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

Have you encountered a miracle or God’s intervention in your life? Albert: We have both had serious illnesses, and with faith, prayers and God’s intervention, we have survived.

Describe a time in your life when you relied on your faith: Albert: We lost a son-in-law after a long bout with heart trouble, then a transplant. We also lost a grandson’s wife after three years of marriage. These are the times when faith must pull you through. Anna: When illness has come to any member of my family.

Why ought a person be faithful, go to church, or believe in God? Albert: Because without faith, you have nothing. Going to church and praying gives me such a lift. Anna: If you have faith, you’ll go to church and believe in God.

What is your first memory of church? Albert: The best was going to Mass before school in first grade and my First Communion. Anna: Going to Sunday Mass with the family.

What do you like most about being Catholic? Albert: I was born and raised Catholic, and I have a lot of pride in it. I can receive the Sacraments and worship with other parishioners, all seeking the same goal. Anna: It’s part of my life that I’m proud of.

What’s your favorite religious item? Albert: A black rosary with a wooden crucifix and some medals that our daughter, Martha, brought back from Rome. Anna: A rosary our daughter bought for my husband to give to me. She bought it in Rome, and it was blessed by the pope.

What have you learned? How are you different today than you were 20, 30 or more years ago? Albert: That a person is not always right, and you have to take the bad with the good. Also, let the next generations take over and carry on.

Tell us about a favorite saint: Albert: St. Anthony. Anna: My favorite saint is St. Anthony, because that is also my father’s name.

What makes a success? Albert: Believing in what you do and do the best you can. Anna: Working and counting your blessings.

What is the last book you have read? Albert: Farm and Ranch Living. Anna: Calvary in China.

What are your hobbies? Albert: I used to love hunting. I work with and take care of animals. I also enjoy gardening, bird watching, and watching baseball and soccer. Anna: Quilting, gardening and bird watching.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Albert: Listen more than speak. Be honest and do the best you can in what ever you do. Anna: Honesty is the best policy.

People of Wisdom is sponsored by the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana, Inc. For more information, please call (800) 637-1731 or (812) 424-5536, or visit the website @ www.catholicfoundationswin.org.

This article is copyrighted and appeared in the March 18, 2005 issue of The Message and is reprinted here with the permission the Catholic Press of Evansville. For information about subscribing to The Message email them at message@evansville-diocese.org