Elizabeth "Betty" Thompson, 90, longtime Snyder area resident, went to be with her Lord, Sunday, November 7, 2010 at her home. Betty was born June 10, 1920 to Zita and Theo Metz in Brush, CO. They lived in Snyder until she was six years old when they moved back to Culbertson, NE. They worked the family ranch (Stone Ranch) for several years. The family increased with the births of three children, Margaret Mary, Bill and Rose. Betty loved riding horses, herding cattle. One afternoon when she was five, her parents couldn't find her. She had climbed on a gentle horse and went to gather the cattle by herself, which they did everyday. The Metz family moved back to Snyder, CO to a dry-land farm at Antelope Springs, CO in time for the "dirty thirties". Betty usually drove a one-horse buggy, with her younger siblings, everyday to the Antelope Springs country school. She said she always tried to sit in the front row at school and later when she got eyeglasses, she didn't have to sit in the front row. She started at Brush High School by sharing an apartment with two neighbor girls. One day after school, two neighbor boys from out north came by to visit. They managed to adjust the girls' alarm clock without being noticed. The next morning the three girls got to the school on a very cold morning before anyone else was there and the doors were still locked. After two years of high school, the Metz family moved to Nebraska to Stone Ranch. Betty moved to McCook, NE to live with an elderly Aunt Em Droll. She discovered at McCook High School she could graduate in one more year plus summer school. She started McCook Junior College when she was 17 and really enjoyed it. Aunt Em was in charge of the Catholic cemetery in McCook, but often had migraine headaches. So Aunt Em would hand the books to Betty to choose the gravesites with the families. Betty wanted to go on to college but money was scarce in the 1930's. She taught at the country school, the Dyke School, south of Culbertson and lived at Stone Ranch for one year. The next year she moved back to Colorado to attend Colorado A&M at Fort Collins, CO. She was dating one of her neighbors from Snyder, Wayne Thompson. They eloped and were married at midnight on January 1, 1941. She finished the school year at Colorado A&M before they moved to a rented farm at Antelope Springs, CO. They worked hard during WWII to farm and start a family with Ava, James and Lee. The rented farm had a hand dug water well with a windmill pump. Once in a while some critter would fall in the well. When a snake fell in the well one time, they said the water wasn't fit to drink. They would need to pump the well dry to remove the snake. When the wind blew long enough, the well was dry at midnight. A pulley was hung from the windmill tower with a rope tied to the truck. Betty was to operate the truck and lower Wayne into the well. She said, "NO WAY" and went down into the well with a lantern and removed the dead snake. The Thompsons bought the home farm and moved there in 1946. They said the old farm house was a poor house, so they bought another and moved it in 1947. Dale and Harry joined the family in time for the dry, dirty 1950's. They had some good years and good times growing up on the farm. Betty was an expert at making the best of things to make ends meet. Betty accepted the Lord as her personal Savior when she was young and her faith and devotion grew daily. They lost their son, James, in the US Coast Guard in 1967, he was missing in action. Betty was always a source of strength and encouragement to all of the family all of her life. The Thompsons retired from farming in 1988 to move to Snyder, CO. They enjoyed traveling. Betty especially loved their road trip to Alaska. They enjoyed eating out almost everyday until Wayne's health began to fail. Betty was a very kind and patient caregiver to Wayne until he passed away in 2006. They celebrated 65 years together only five days before he died. She adjusted to living alone until she suffered a stroke in September 2009. Betty had told the family in August 2009 that she really didn't want to ever go to a rest home. The family found a wonderful group of caregivers who cared for Betty over a year. The family cannot begin to say "thank you" enough to this group of people who have cared for, loved, read to and prayed for Betty. A great big "thank you" to Anita, Corine, Donna, Ernie, Tammy, Susan, Cassandra, Janel, Sherry, Kris, Patty, Kathy, Francine and Mary Lou – "We love you!". Betty was an active member of the Brush Nazarene Church for almost 60 years. She had a love and heart for missions and supported Nazarene Missions International. She is survived by her children, Ava Miller, Lee Thompson, Dale Thompson and Harry Thompson, a sister, Rose Garey, 11 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren with one more on the way. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Wayne, her son, James, a brother and a sister and a grandson, Chad Thompson. A funeral service will be held Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM at the Brush Church of The Nazarene, Brush, CO. Interment will follow in the Prairie View Cemetery in Stoneham, CO.