Bettie Helen (Smith) Garhart

Bettie Helen (Smith) Garhart, 84, beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away on Thursday, December 8th at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, surrounded by her family. She was born on February 16, 1938, in Topeka, KS, to Gerald and Bettie (Coyle) Smith. She graduated from Hayden High School in 1956 and subsequently attended Benedictine College in Atchison. She later worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 33 years.

Bettie was a devout Catholic with a deep and abiding faith in God and the risen Christ, and was a longtime parishioner of Christ the King Catholic Church in Topeka. She was active in local theatre for many years, both on and off stage, and still enjoyed attending productions with her family. She was also an avid golfer and swimmer, and a devotee of mystery stories both written and broadcast (she had read every Agatha Christie mystery ever written). Most of all, though, she was devoted to her family, whom she loved beyond measure, and her greatest joy was spending time with them.

Bettie was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Gerald James Smith and Gerald Bernard Smith, her sons Greg Hainline and Mark Garhart, and a miscarried son.

She is survived by her husband Gary, her brother Frank (Mary) Smith, her son Jeff (Linda) Garhart, daughters Susan (Gary) Fulton and Jeanette Hutchison, son Greg Garhart, grandchildren Marissa Kindred, Jessica Kubie, Ashley Hutchison, Ashley Moore, Nicholas Garhart, and Jozie Hutchison, and seven great-grandchildren, as well as four nieces and a nephew.

In keeping with her wishes, a private Mass of Christian Burial will be held for just her family, with interment following in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made in Bettie's memory to Christ the King Catholic Church.

To share a memory or to leave condolences, please visit, www.brennanmathenafh.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 SW 6th Ave., Topeka, KS 66603.