October 26, 1944 – February 3, 2023

On February 3, 2023, Betty Van Essen went to the loving arms of her Lord and Savior. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend and she will be missed dearly. A memorial service was held on Monday, February 13, at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary at Visalia Christian Reformed Church. 

Betty was born on October 26, 1944, in Artesia, California, to Cornelius and Ida Vander Steen. She was the second of five children, with an older sister, Luetta Vanden Bosch, two younger sisters, Kaye Fransen and Connie Kille, and younger brother Ivan. Betty moved from California to a small farm outside of Leota, Minnesota, at a very young age with her family. There she attended Leota Christian School followed by Edgerton High School. 

During high school, she met the love of her life, Larry Van Essen, who was attending their rival school, Southwest Christian. They began dating and continued their relationship together at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. They were married August 26, 1964, and welcomed their firstborn, Rebecca, the following year. Rebecca was followed by two younger sisters, Leah and Sarah. 

Larry attended seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., and through their life in ministry, they called many places home including Fort Collins, Colo., Riverside, Calif., and Madison, Wisc. In 2001, they planted their roots in Visalia, Calif. 

Betty and Larry made a great team and she enjoyed supporting him in ministry and helping build a community of believers wherever they went. Betty spent over 20 years working in various roles in the school system which reflected her heart for service and her love for children and all people. Betty was a very content woman who loved the Lord. She loved reading, looking at God’s beauty all around her, and making friends wherever she went. Betty lived a very full life and filled her time with volunteering in classrooms at Central Valley Christian School, watching her grandchildren play sports, welcoming great-grandchildren, and playing cards or games with her husband and friends. All of this brought her immense joy. 

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, older sister Luetta, and brother Ivan. 

She is survived by her husband Larry, three daughters Rebecca (Bernard) te Velde, Leah (Mark) Geertsema, and Sarah (Casey) Willborn, her 12 grandchildren Kelsey (Fred) Leyendekker, Adam (Paige) te Velde, Jacob (Lindsey) te Velde, Lauren (Daniel) Twigge, Alex te Velde, Jaclyn (Wade) Sousa, Simon te Velde, Jordan (Ben) Hedrick, Michaela (Tyler) Hogan, Sean Geertsema, Isaac and Ethan Willborn, as well as her 12 great-grandchildren. Betty is also survived by two sisters, Kaye Fransen and Connie Kille; several brother and sisters-in-law, as well as many nieces and nephews. 

Betty’s true desire was that everyone would know Jesus Christ as their personal savior, a mission she worked towards through her everyday life, her work and volunteering, and her active and beloved membership at Visalia Christian Reformed Church. She was a true servant for the Lord, and she will be greatly missed by all those who loved her. Her life can best be defined by the Bible verse Micah 6:8- “…What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”