Oct. 4, 1926 – Sept. 18, 2021
Elizabeth Louise “Betty Lou” Gardner Liechty died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. She passed peacefully with her son at her side. Betty Lou was born in St. George, Utah, on Oct. 4, 1926, to Wayne Cummings Gardner and Elizabeth MacArthur Gardner “Bessie,” who were descendants of the original Utah Pioneers.
Betty Lou was the eldest of five children born to Wayne and Bessie and is survived by her sister Katherine Gardner Staheli. She was preceded in death by her sister Mary Ada Grossen (Earl) and her brothers Robert (Geniel) and Reed (Jackie).
From an early age she showed an amazing talent for sewing. After graduating from high school, Betty Lou went to Dixie College and then Utah State University and majored in clothing and textiles. She went on to serve a mission to Michigan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Betty Lou received her master’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles.
She went on to teach as an associate professor at Brigham Young University. She married Kenneth A. Liechty on Aug. 27, 1960, in the St. George Temple. She continued her talent for sewing, pattern making and textiles for her entire life and recently contributed to the third edition of her textbook on pattern alteration and design. She made beautiful costumes, clothing, linens and even a wedding dress that are treasured by her family.
Betty Lou loved sewing, family and enjoyed traveling the world with her family and sharing her experiences with others. She was immensely proud of her children and grandchildren, and they all adored her completely. She was a steady, kind soul whose patience and support was an anchor for her family. She was known to be a fierce sports fan and could always get the best one liner in after her teams would triumph. “Your boys fought hard, but they lost” when BYU or UCLA beat Utah.
Ken and Betty Lou are parents to Kenneth Wayne Liechty (Kirstin) and Mary Katherine Liechty Faris (Michael), and grandparents to 13 grandchildren, Cody, Dylan, Amanda, Lindsay, Cole, Abigail, Olivia, Aedan, Nathaniel, Stella, Jack, Michael, and Haley, and one great-grandchild, Jaxx. She will be dearly missed.
Funeral services will be held at the Spilsbury Mortuary in St George on Oct. 1, 2021, at 10 a.m. with interment in the Provo Cemetery on Oct. 2, 2021, at 10 a.m.
Family and friends that are unable to attend are invited to view the funeral service online by clicking on the link below.
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/61139
Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff Street, St. George, Utah. 435-673-2454. Family and friends are invited to sign her online guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com