Betty L. Dittmar

Betty L. Dittmar, 94, entered into eternal life on Friday, August 8, 2025.

Betty was born September 3, 1930 to Alford and Loretta Sowder on a small farm near Chappell, Nebraska. Betty and her younger brother, Harl, grew up participating in all the responsibilities and experiences of farm life. She often recalled warm memories of her childhood, with loving and industrious parents, along with happy moments spent with her grandparents, Virgil and Grace Sowder. One of Betty's lifelong passions was reading. As a child, she looked forward to Saturdays, when her mom would buy her a 5-cent bag of candy. Upon returning home, she would disappear for hours to the hayloft with a book, candy, and her dog, Trixie, reading until her parents called her in for chores and supper.

In the 1930s, Betty attended elementary school in at South 68 in Ovid, followed by high school in Fort Morgan, graduating in 1948. After a year at Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Betty taught fourth grade for a year at Sedgwick. While teaching in Sedgwick, she became acquainted with a young man, Arthur "Junior" Dittmar, while out for an evening with friends at a roller-skating rink.

Betty and Junior were married October 8, 1950 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Julesburg. Just two months later, Junior was inducted into the Army, and the newlyweds moved to Camp Cooke Army Base near Lompoc, California. While residing there, Betty and Junior welcomed their first child, Debra Kay, in March 1952. The young family returned to Julesburg later that December, after Junior was honorably discharged due to diabetes. Betty and Junior soon welcomed a son, Kim Victor, in February 1954 and later a daughter, Tami Beth, in July 1965.

Making room for their family, Betty and Junior designed and built a home on eighth street, with the help of Junior's brother-in-law, Elmer Klitzke. Betty & Junior incorporated distinctive mid-century modern design features, including a pull-out stove, telephone built into the wall, and a robin's-egg-blue bathtub - all quite stylish in 1962. Most memorably, the house was a warm and welcoming home for daily life, holidays, birthday parties, family dinners, a 'hang out' spot for Debra, Kim, & Tami's friends, Junior's card parties, and Betty's cozy reading spot.

In 1958, Betty was hired as a telephone switchboard operator for Mountain Bell, a now-iconic career role. In the 1970's, Betty would take young Tami to the museum (at that time located in the Julesburg Library basement), where her old switchboard was stored, and show her the complexities of coordinating calls - the plugs, jacks, switches, rings, colors, numbers - each with a specific purpose. Betty demonstrated every detail in a way so realistic, that Tami was positive that switchboard was about to light up with a call. Betty's switchboard is now on display at the Fort Sedgwick Museum in Julesburg.

In 1963, with the transition away from switchboards to dial conversion, Betty continued with Mountain Bell as its Sedgwick County service representative. Betty loved working for the phone company -- she knew every phone number in town by heart. Betty continued as a service representative, until the closing of the local Mountain Bell branch in 1982.

After retiring, Betty's love of history and the community led her to participate in the Fort Sedgwick Historical Society's Documentation Project. Known as "The Big Project," Betty and other local historians compiled a photographic and written history of every building in Sedgwick County, taking more than 5000 photos and gathering over 2000 historical images. For Betty, this 10-year project was an adventure that combined detective work, history, and good fun with her "Big Project" teammates.

As their children graduated and left Julesburg for careers far-and-wide, Betty and Junior began traveling. Visits to Debra (New Mexico), Kim (Fort Collins, Colorado), and Tami (Nebraska, Texas, and Arizona) were always on their schedule. They also explored farther-away places, including Niagara Falls, Branson, and New England. Betty's grandest adventure occurred in 2009, when, at age 79, she attended her granddaughter, Amber's, wedding in Germany, escorted by her son, Kim. Returning home, Betty and Kim must have appeared exhausted at the airline check-in counter; the ticket agent gave them a sympathetic smile, and upgraded them to business class.

After Junior passed away in 2008, Betty continued to live in the home she and Junior built, until health issues prompted her move to the Julesburg assisted living facility in 2017, and ultimately the nursing home in 2022. Although pets weren't allowed, Betty carried her lifelong love of dogs to each of these new residences, surrounding herself, instead, with fluffy, stuffed dogs to keep her company as she enjoyed her next good book. Mysteries were her favorite, and a mystery with a dog character was even better. Eventually, Betty's declining eyesight ended her ability to read books, but she still treasured her furry stuffed companions. It wasn't uncommon for the exceptionally kind nursing home staff to call out over their walkie-talkies, "Everyone look for Betty's 'Mr. Fox' dog!" (or "Snoop Dog," whichever happened to have gone astray that day).

Betty was steadfast in her Christian faith, and was a dedicated congregant of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Julesburg. She had a heart for missions and enjoyed serving through the Lutheran Miriam Circle and the Orphan Grain Train.

Betty is survived by her three children: Debra Kay (Joe) Sena, Kim Victor (Christy) Dittmar, Tami Beth (Amy) Dittmar; four grandchildren: Amber (Peter) Muhlhausser, Jaden Dittmar, Javier Dittmar, and Diego Dittmar; two great-grandchildren: Betty Rose and Benson; as well as many loving, extended family. Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Junior; her parents, Alford and Loretta Sowder; and her brother, Harl.

Betty Dittmar left those she loved with a legacy of deep faith, character, and service. We love you dearly, and we will see you again in God's presence.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 10:00 am at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Julesburg; interment will follow at Julesburg Hillside Cemetery, then lunch at the Lutheran Church annex. Prairie Hills Funeral Home is managing arrangements. For those unable to attend in-person, the service will be live-streamed at <https://www.youtube.com/@stpauljulesburg4251>.

Memorial contributions may be made in Betty's honor to the Orphan Grain Train, or the Fort Sedgwick Historical Society.