Betty Lou Leeper

Betty Leeper, 92, of Great Falls, passed away Thursday, January 7, 2016, surrounded by family at Benefis Hospital of natural causes.Closed funeral arrangements are being handled by Schnider Funeral Home, with burial at Highland Cemetery.Betty was born July 12, 1923 in Devils Lake, North Dakota to Louis and Ruby Furstenau, and the family moved to Great Falls shortly after. She attended Great Falls High School and graduated in 1941. She met and fell in love with Herschel Leeper. Herschel joined the United States Navy and served in the South Pacific throughout WWII, until he returned home in 1946. While away at war, Betty worked at Malmstrom AFB as a teletype operator, aiding in the war effort here at home.Betty and Herschel married on February 9, 1947 and had two children, Neil in 1949, and Leslie in 1953, and became a stay at home mother. In 1974, the family opened Leeper Sales Co., a wholesale bakery and party supply business, which all four ran until Herschel's passing in 1992. She continued on at Leeper Sales for several years after, with her children running it.Betty is survived by her son, Neil Leeper; daughter Leslie (Chuck) Rosander; grandchildren David (Christy) Leeper, Amanda (AJ) Cronk, Jason Rosander, Kari (Sean) Maroney and Nathan Rosander (Kayla Letcher); and great grandchildren, Lynae, Laila, Owen, Lexie, Garrett, and Haileigh.She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Ruby; husband, Herschel; brother Richard Furstenau; and sisters Laverne Bauer and June Wright.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Children's Receiving Home, PO Box 1061, Great Falls, MT 59403, or The Great Falls Food Bank, 1620 12th Ave N, Great Falls, MT 59405.