Betty Lou Surber

November 21, 1931 – January 22, 2023

Betty Lou died peacefully on January 22, 2023, at the age of 91. She was born November 21, 1931, in Porterville, CA, the youngest daughter and next-to-youngest child of five in the family of Alfred and Margaret Rider.

As a child Betty Lou loved to dance, especially tap dancing. She met

Floyd Surber at a folk dance when she was in high school and he was attending junior college after his discharge from the Navy where he served during WWII.

They were married in November 1949, just before her 18th birthday.

They lived in Chico, CA, where they welcomed their first child while Floyd attended college and graduated with a teaching credential. They moved to Lakeport in 1953 where Floyd began his teaching career. They soon purchased a home where they raised their five children. Betty Lou lived in that house for the rest of her life.

Betty Lou had a busy life as a young mother, where she honed her domestic and organizational skills – cooking delicious meals, doing seemingly-endless household chores (without a dishwasher or a dryer), sewing clothes, knitting sweaters, baking bread and cookies, tending a big garden, canning fruits and vegetables – all while caring for her growing family.

In addition, Betty Lou did childcare for many years, worked at the local Sears catalog store, sang with the Community Chorus and a women’s group the Triple Trio, helped start the local Sweet Adelines chorus, took college classes, and tried new things like stained glass art and macramé.

In the 1970s Betty Lou and Floyd started a family hand-craft business “The Fumble Finger Factory” selling daughter Cindy’s pottery, Floyd’s clay wind chimes and sculptures, metalwork and jewelry, and Betty Lou’s macramé plant hangers. They had a booth at the county fair, organized an annual Christmas craft fair, and traveled to craft shows on the weekends in their motor home.

Betty Lou was involved with the Lake County Arts Council for many years as a Board member, Treasurer and Office Manager where her organizational skills were valued. She volunteered at the Lakeport Senior Center where she served on the board and worked to set up and maintain their garden. She was also the treasurer for the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Auxiliary for many years.

Dancing became part of Betty Lou’s life again in the 1980s when she joined a group called the Clear Lake Clikkers, doing a form of tap dancing called clogging. She then began her long association with the Spring Dance Festival where she also choreographed and performed an annual tap dance solo for over 30 years. Her last Dance Festival performance was in 2018 at the age of 86.

Singing was an important part of Betty Lou’s life and she was a vital member of the Mendo-Lake Sweet Adelines chorus for over 40 years, serving as president, treasurer, choreographer, and baritone section leader. She loved performing.

Betty Lou became known for her delicious varieties of zucchini bread as well as her jams and jellies, especially those made from her homegrown boysenberries and pomegranates. And her buttermilk brownies were always appreciated whenever she brought them to a party or a bake sale.

Betty Lou and Floyd were married for 58 years until his death in 2008. She continued to enjoy gardening, baking, singing, and dancing until her health issues in the past couple of years made it difficult to continue. She loved spending time with her family and keeping in touch by phone with those who lived too far away to visit often.

Betty Lou leaves behind a large and loving family – her children and their spouses, Pam and Marty Klier, Cindy Surber and Stan Ulrich, Bethany and Al Smith, Teresa Fred, and Rod and Carla Surber; eight grandchildren and their spouses, Ian Klier, Emily Ulrich and Jen Howard, Alec Smith, Emeric Smith, Alexis and Viana Smith, Michael Fred, Vincent and Elley Fred, and Leon Fred; and 12 great-grandchildren, Nathan Fred-Massic, Eileen Fred, Edward Fred, Rachel Fred, Shayna BurrowsJack, Isaiah Smith, TJ Smith, Sandra Shaw, Edward Shaw, Leilani Smith, Simona Ulrich, and Helena Howard Ulrich.

Betty Lou will be remembered and greatly missed by all those who knew her and were touched by her kindness, her thoughtfulness, and her sweet spirit.

Betty Lou’s family will host a gathering in her honor later this spring.