Betty Jo (Warman) Sanders
Betty Jo (Warman) Sanders left us on Sept. 2, 2024, after a full life of 94 years, passing at her home near Troy, just as she had wished.
Her life-long sassy and bubbly personality, which she retained up until her final days, will be missed by her family and friends.
Betty was born Betty Jo Warman on Feb. 7, 1930, in Springfield, Missouri, where her father, William (Cole) Warman, worked as a barber. Born in Kingston, New York, William Cole came to Missouri on one of the “orphan trains,” which brought orphaned children from the East Coast to the Midwest for adoption. He was adopted by the Warman family, who owned a farm in Aurora, Missouri.
Her mother, Leora (McClurg) Warman, grew up in a large farm family of 11 children in Hutchison, Kansas and was also orphaned at a young age.
Shortly after graduating from high school in 1947, Betty lost her father to cancer. She worked in an ice cream shop and a department store to help support herself and her mother, who took jobs as a house cleaner after William’s death. They struggled financially during those years, which influenced Betty’s life-long frugality.
Betty first came to Troy in 1954 to visit her brother, Jim Warman, who was working as a “Blister Ruster” with the U.S. Forest Service. She loved the area and moved to Troy permanently in 1955, and then relocated her mother to Troy in 1956.
Shortly after moving to Troy, Betty met Bob Sanders at The Antlers roadhouse near Kootenai Falls. After a whirlwind courtship, they were married on Nov. 25, 1955, in Troy. The first home for Betty and Bob was a tiny trailer near Noxon, where Bob was working as a cat operator clearing land for the Noxon Rapids Dam.
Later they moved to the Iron Creek ranch of Bob’s parents, Henry and Lavina Sanders, where they lived in a slightly larger trailer and welcomed the birth of their son, Joe. In 1961, they bought property just outside of Troy where they lived the remainder of their lives. Betty and Bob were together for nearly 67 years until his death in 2022.
After Bob bought his first logging truck, Betty began keeping the books for his trucking business.
She also was active in the community, including volunteering with the Troy Emergency Dispatch. For many years she served as an election judge, overseeing voting and ballot counting, at the rural Troy precinct polling station at the Log Cabin Bar on Lake Creek.
She was an avid bowler – a member of the Kensler’s IGA team with many of her close friends – and enjoyed traveling to bowling tournaments around the region.
Betty is survived by her son Joe Sanders and his wife Diane McClurg Sanders of Tumwater, Washington, and grandchildren Malia Sanders of Port Angeles, Washington, and Taylor Sanders of Palouse, Washington. They would like to express their appreciation to her caregivers and the many members of the Troy community who have been so helpful and supportive to Betty and Bob over the years, and now to their family as they grieve their loss.
Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby, Montana. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.
Betty and Bob were strong believers in the value of education and their family requests that donations in Betty’s memory be made to the Troy School District All School Reunion Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box, 867, Troy, MT 59935.
