Betty L. Chow's Obituary
CHOW, Betty L., age 92, of Lebanon, passed away Monday, May 19, 2025, at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus.
Born June 23, 1932, in Pittsburgh PA, Betty was a retired nurse. A graduate of the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1954, she worked as an RN for many years and was a member of the Nurses Alumni Association of the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing.
On June 9, 1957, she married W. Jing Chow and soon began a family. Susan, Terri, Mark and Wesley filled the various parsonages with giggles and joy. She was a loving wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother. Known as “Hoo Hoo” or “Nai Nai” to her grandchildren and “Tai Hoo” to her great grandchildren, Betty truly loved her family.
Thoughtful and deeply spiritual, she was filled with joy and always had a very sweet sense of humor. She was very dedicated as a United Methodist Pastor’s wife serving alongside Jing in Iowa and Pennsylvania before his West Ohio Conference appointments: Kirkersville, Fletcher Chapel (Baltimore), Etna, Church of the Messiah (Westerville), Archbold, Livingston (Columbus), Maineville and Waynesville. In many of these churches, she sang in the choir, taught Bible Studies, helped lead United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women and Women’s Society of Christian Service) and led retreats. She was an active member of the (West Ohio) Singing Wives, United Women in Faith (formerly UMW), School of Christian Mission, and often served as an At Large Delegate from the District in which Jing was appointed. Upon Jing’s retirement in 2000, they lived in Bellbrook for a few years until making Otterbein Senior Life Lebanon their home. She was an active member of the Otterbein Lebanon United Methodist Church for many years. After moving to Columbus eighteen months ago, she began attending the Columbus Chinese Christian Church with her son, Wesley and his family.
Prior to meeting Jing, she was very involved in the Pittsburgh Chinese Mission and felt a calling to be a missionary to China. Her missionary work, however, shifted to raising a godly family of Chinese ancestry. Her parents, George Chick Lee and Kim You Lee had emigrated to the United States from Mainland China in the 1920’s.
She was very talented at calligraphy, photography, scrapbooking, and painting. She passed on many of her talents to her children and grandchildren. She cherished the memories she made with her family and friends and created numerous memory books which captured shared adventures and experiences. In addition, Betty also enjoyed swimming, sewing, singing, playing handbells and playing piano.
When the kids were growing up, she and Jing would take them to visit her parents' family in Akron. These large gatherings provided wonderful opportunities to visit cousins, aunts and uncles. Family reunions became an important tradition in Betty's life as spending extended time with family and friends meant the world to her. As a family, Jing and Betty took the kids on several cross-country road trips to California to visit grandparents and relatives. They also enjoyed camping at State Parks.
When Betty's memory had faded, she was moved to The Grove at Oakleaf Village, a memory care facility in Columbus, Ohio, where she lived during the past one and a half years. It was here that her deep love and nurturing spirit showed through in how she cared for her cherished Cincinnati Bear and baby dolls as a young mother would. Her sweet sense of humor persisted even during this time.
Above all, she will be remembered for the love and pride she had in her family and for the deep faith she had in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her life verse has been Galatians 2.20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)
Betty was preceded in death by her mother, Kim You Lee, in 1944, a daughter, Deborah Elizabeth Chow in 1964, her beloved husband, the Rev. W. Jing Chow, in 2015; her parents, George (Jean) Lee; her two brothers, Alvin (Vivien) Lee and Edmund (Marilyn) Lee; her two sisters, Clara (Bo) Yee and Ellen (Jim) Linn; her half-brother, Gary Lee; and brother-in-law, Yick Yee.
She is survived by two daughters, Susan L. (Albert) Chan and Teresa A. (Michael) Yee; two sons, Rev. Mark A. (Nancy) Chow and Wesley P. (Tungguang) Chow; 12 grandchildren, Aaron (Kristina) Chan, Heather (Griffin Ng) Chan, Melodee (Eric) Mah, Rev. Joshua (Jenna) Yee, Jordan (Allison) Yee, Jayme (Chas Albright) Schumacher, Jennifer Schumacher, Deborah (Brady) Brennan, Molly Chow, Stephen Chow, Daniel Chow, and David Chow; six great-grandchildren, Kayden Mah, Brooklynn Yee, Hudson Yee, Henry Poydence, Rachel Poydence, and one (Baby Chan) on-the-way; sister, Doris Yee; half-sister, Sandy (Jim) Ung; sister-in-law, Winnie Lee; and numerous extended family members and friends.
The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, at Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville, and a second visitation will be from 10 -11 am on Friday, June 27 at Otterbein Lebanon United Methodist Church, 585 St Route 741, Lebanon. A celebration of life service will be at 11 am on Friday, June 27 at the Otterbein Lebanon United Methodist Church, 585 St Route 741, Lebanon. If desired, contributions may be made to Otterbein United Methodist Church in Lebanon. Condolences are available at www.stubbs conner.com.
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