Betty was born on Nov. 4, 1924, in Goodrich, Idaho, the first of four children to Lester and Ethel Thomason.
In 1941, she met and married Merlin Dreyer in New Meadows, Idaho. They had three children, Bill, Merlina & Bob. In 1955, the family immigrated to Canada, settling in Donald, BC.
The family moved again in 1963 to a ranch on the west side of the Columbia River near Brisco, BC.
Betty loved the rural lifestyle. When not busy with the ranch work, she was active in the community. She was awarded a lifetime membership to the Brisco United Church Ladies Aid. Betty always looked forward to the quilting held by the ladies’ group. She also enjoyed crocheting and gardening. Another interest of Betty’s was the Rebekah Lodge; she joined in Idaho in 1947 and joined the Canadian group in 1957.
She remained an active member until moving to Brisco in 1963. You could often find Betty relaxing at the end of the day with a good book to read. Betty, in her younger years, liked to travel and has been as far north as Alaska. She also enjoyed camping and picking wild berries.
In 1976, her husband, Merlin, passed away, but she still continued to manage the ranch with help from a friend and neighbour, Mike Gabry. In 1979, she decided to sell the ranch, and she bought a small acreage just south of Brisco. She and Mike made Brisco their home until 2006, but when the property became too much to look after, they moved to an apartment in Golden, BC.
Betty passed away suddenly on July 8, 2009, in Golden, BC.
Betty was predeceased by her husband, Merlin Dreyer (1976), great-granddaughter Anna Marie Dreyer (2000), daughter Merlina Snell (2004), brother Howard Thomason (2008) and her long-time companion Mike Gabry (2009).
She will be greatly missed by her sons Bill (Annie) Dreyer of Golden, BC, Bob (Carol) Dreyer of Sicamous, BC, her six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She is also survived by two brothers, Tom (Lucille) Thomason of Baker City, Oregon and Jim (Lenore) Thomason of John Day, Oregon.
The celebration of life service will be held on Sunday, July 26, 2009, with a graveside service at the Galena Church Cemetery at 11 am, followed by a luncheon at the Brisco Hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or the Canadian Diabetes Association.
