Betty Louise Lee

Life Sketch of

 Betty Louise (Kendall) Lee

  Betty Louise Kendall was born on March 26, 1934, at home in Malheur County, Oregon, about a mile and a half from the Idaho border, the daughter of Laurence Mark Kendall and Iola Weber Kendall. Her father was working on the farm, plowing near the house at the time of her birth and would do a round and then come in to check if she was there yet. She grew up the second to youngest of five, with one older sister (Geneva Thomas), two older brothers (Karl and Robert Kendall), and one younger sister (Dorothy) on a farm that stretched to the Snake River, with Idaho visible just across the water.

  Betty's paternal grandparents, Reuben Newell Kendall and Delina Jayne Van Leuven Kendall, died before she was born, as did her maternal grandfather, Robert Weber. She knew only one grandparent growing up — her maternal grandmother, Alice Louise Hayes Weber, whom the family called "Grandma Weber," and for whom Betty's own middle name, Louise, was chosen.

  The Kendall farm raised cows, horses, chickens, rabbits, and foxes, though farming was never her father's favorite work; in later years he also drove a bus and worked for a mortuary, at one point picking up bodies to help support Betty's brother while he served a mission.

  Betty met James (Jim) Horald Lee Jr. at a Lucky Clover dance in Nyssa, Oregon, in October 1949. She was fifteen; he was not quite seventeen, and had come that evening with another girl. After Betty gave his hand a light squeeze on the dance floor, James asked her to dance every remaining dance of the night — and never danced with the other girl again. At the end of the evening he fetched her coat, walked her to the car, asked for her address, and asked to write to her. Under the moon and stars, he asked to kiss her goodnight, and did, before she could quite answer.  For the next three years or so, they wrote regularly and saw each other about once a month at church dances.

  Jim joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper on October 27, 1952. While he was at basic training, Betty was attending BYU, and the two kept up their correspondence. That November, Jim wrote to ask if Betty would like a ring for Christmas; she wrote back "yes," and they continued writing until he came home the following spring. On June 10, 1953, they were married for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple — a day Betty always counted among the happiest of their marriage. She credited the strength of their life together to love, caring about one another's happiness, shared goals, shared faith, and simply enjoying life together. They wanted, above all, to be married and sealed in the temple as a permanent commitment.

  For the next several years, while Jim served eight years in the Army — including fourteen months in Korea at the close of the Korean War — Betty made a home with him at posts up and down the East Coast: Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Lee, Virginia; and Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Jim had loved the Army enough that he likely would have made a career of it, but because he and Betty could not conceive, they chose to leave so they could begin the adoption process and start their family. 

  After Jim left the Army, they settled in the Salt Lake City area, where they would live for nearly 48 years, with a few stints back in western Idaho. Unable to have biological children, Betty and James built their family through adoption.  Betty often said that becoming a mother was one of the most rewarding parts of her life. After about nine years of marriage, the Relief Society adoption agency called Betty at work in March 1962 to tell her a baby boy was waiting for her. She and James rushed to Sears for diapers and bottles before bringing home six-day-old Steven Eric. He was sealed to them in the Logan Utah Temple, by which time he was already walking, and ran down the hall to greet them.

  Their second child, Richard Bryan, arrived the following year. After Betty had briefly returned to work at Singer's Acceptance Corporation, her doctor told her of an expected baby boy. Richard was born October 9, 1963, nearly a month past his due date, weighing ten pounds four ounces and twenty-three inches long — a big, healthy baby who looked to Betty like he was already a month old.

  After the family moved to Weiser, Betty and James pursued a third adoption through the Open Door Society in Moscow, Idaho. A baby girl became available the following month, and they drove to Moscow with a bassinet in the back seat to bring home three-day-old Kathryn Louise, named for Betty and for Betty's great-grandmother. They had considered "Laura Lee," but decided she simply looked “like a Kathy.” Betty always remarked that she would have wanted a “quiver full” of kids if she could. 

  Betty and Jim bought their first house in Sandy, Utah, in 1974, moved to West Jordan in the mid-1980s and stayed more than thirty years, and later relocated to Nampa, Idaho, in 2012, where they were warmly welcomed into the Nampa 37th Ward.

  Family life brought its ordinary ups and downs, but Betty and Jim loved deeply and held fast to the belief that families can be together forever. Betty worked at times outside the home, including at Wonderbread store for many years, and once Betty and Jim spent a summer delivering new motorhomes around the country together. 

  During the first five years of their retirement, Betty and Jim served together in the Jordan River Temple twice a week and made lasting friends there. They then served a full-time mission in the office of the Bucharest, Romania Mission, writing often to their children and grandchildren about their experiences and the growth of the Church there.

  Betty was known for her cheerful attitude, hard work ethic, and loving heart. She was always whistling a tune as she worked in the kitchen or while crocheting. 

  Betty's advice for raising children was simple and steady: love them, give them age-appropriate responsibility so they learn to work, teach them that family matters most, and encourage kindness. To her family and future generations, she said “family is the greatest source of joy — to live the gospel, love and serve others, remain faithful to spouse and family, and live in a way that would let them feel comfortable in the presence of Heavenly Father.”

  Betty Louise (Kendall) Lee passed away on August 27, 2026, in Nampa, Idaho, at the age of 92. Betty was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 68 years, James Horald Lee Jr., whom she loved deeply and missed every day; her son, Richard Lee; and her daughter, Kathryn Louise. She is survived by her son, Steven Eric Lee, along with six grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. 

  A Graveside Service will be held Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 11:00 AM at the Fairview Cemetery 5438 US 95 Spur, Ontario, Oregon.   Arrangements are in the care of the Potter Funeral Chapel. 

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