Betty Jean Alma Friesen, 83, Minot, formerly of Logan and Ryder, died on Sunday in her home after a year and a half battle with cancer.

Betty was born on September 13, 1934 on a farm near Blackduck, MN to Francis and Irene (Newman) Welsh. Her family moved to the Minot-Burlington area in 1941. She graduated from Minot Model High School in 1952. As a young adult she was employed as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone.

Betty married Leonard H. Friesen on August 2, 1954 in Billings, MT. They made their home on a farm east of Ryder and then in 1967 moved to a farm in the Logan area. Betty was a full-time wife, mother and homemaker and was employed part-time by Great Plains Lumber Company as a mill work finisher. Later, she began employment with Kotana Communications, now SRT, in the telephone answering department.

Leonard died on December 5, 1995. Betty moved to Minot in 2011 and had lived at Edgewood Village for the past six years.

Betty was baptized as one of Jehovah\'s Witnesses on February 14, 1951. She remained an active member of the Minot congregation until her death, and she enjoyed sharing her Bible based hope with others. Known for her hospitality, she was always ready to put on a pot of coffee when someone stopped by. She was a hard worker and was very passionate about caring for her family and friends.

Betty's loving family includes her children: Garnet (Mark) Krebsbach of Minot; Lane (Tiffanie) Friesen of Ronan MT; Val (Cristee) Friesen of Ryder and Dixie Friesen of Riverdale; grandchildren: Lanna (Charley) Christianson, Kelsie-Lee (Spencer) Lindahl, Shayne, Lilee and Henry Friesen; great grandchildren: Ramzi, Rori and Lenyx Lindahl; siblings: Al (Barb) Welsh of MN, Frank (Julie) Welsh of Montana City, MT, Pat (Larry) Telkamp of Hurricane, UT and Dale Welsh of Bozeman MT and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, husband and children: Jonathan and Krystal.

A memorial service for Betty will be held Saturday, December 23, 2017 at 2:00 pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.