Mary E. "Betty" Clapp

MISSOULA – Mary E. (Betty) Clapp passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Betty was born on Jan. 11, 1923, in Butte where she was raised and graduated from Butte High School in 1941.

An education major, she graduated in 1945 from Montana State University in Missoula. While teaching at Sheridan High School in 1946, she met Glenn Clapp (Daniel and Corinne [Perrault] Clapp). They married in Butte and settled in Bozeman while Glenn completed his degree in electrical engineering at Montana State College. Betty worked in the biology department there.

After a year of training with Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Penn., Betty and Glenn moved back to Butte, where Glenn held several positions with Westinghouse Electric Corp. They also lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Buffalo, N.Y.

Following Glenn's sudden passing in 1963, Betty and her daughters settled in Missoula, where she was employed at the UM Alumni Association office and the Purchasing Department office. She was an "adopted mom" to many work-study students and, after her retirement from the university in 1988, she enjoyed volunteering on campus just to be in touch with students and friends there.

Betty was a member of Christ the King Parish, Sigma Kappa sorority, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and a founding member of Missoula's Southgate Mall Walking Group. She volunteered at the University and various community organizations, including RSVP. She loved the history and people of her hometown, Butte, and she continued to visit there as often as she was able.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn H. Clapp; parents, Thomas and Eileen (Scanlon) Jenkin and son-in-law Bruce Watson.

She is survived by daughters, Helen Watson of Bolingbrook, Ill., Nancy Barton of Denver, Colo., and Elaine (Russ) Copeland of Florence; brother Thomas (Joan) Jenkin, Henderson, Nev.; grandchildren, Meredith (Curry) Southworth, Douglas Curry, Corinne and Conner Copeland; great-grandson Evan Curry; nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her "adopted daughters", Cheri Horstman and Cindy Shipp, and special friend Mike Horstman.

Services will be held at Christ the King Church in Missoula at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Anyone wishing to honor Betty's memory is asked to perform a random act of kindness or a good deed to assist someone in need.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to her favorite charities: the Missoula Area Food Bank, the Poverello Center of Missoula, St. Patrick's House in Missoula, Special Olympics of Montana, Shriners Hospital in Spokane, or the Bagdad Shriners Transportation Fund, 314 W. Park, Butte MT 59701.

Cremation is under the care of Cremation & Burial Society of the Rockies. Condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.

Read Mary Clapp's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.