Betty W. (nee Wellner) Henneman

Born August 29, 1931, Betty Lou was the only child of Martin C. and Edith Wellner of Chicago, Illinois.  She attended Mundelein College and became a teacher of music- something she loved dearly.  Betty married Dr. Raymond Henneman of Chicago in 1954. Betty and Ray moved to Park Ridge, IL and spent 51 years together with family and friends.  Life was filled with raising children, parish involvement at Mary, Seat of Wisdom, service to many organizations and world travel. 

In 1985, Betty was elected City Clerk of Park Ridge and served for 36 years.   She enjoyed a life of service to her community.  Betty is survived by her five children, Jeffrey (Kathleen) Henneman, Paula (John) Beals, Janet (Steven) Franke, David Henneman and Amy (Michael) Davidson and her beloved grandchildren Nick, Jamie (Lisa), Meredith (Thomas), Jenna (James), Ian (Georgia), Cara (Emma), Abby (Sam), Megan (Jacob), Cayley (Dawson), Andrew, Elizabeth, William and Jack as well as great-grandchild, Ashlyn.

Betty lived life to the fullest and always appreciated her connection to others.  She was a master communicator and stayed in touch with everyone by phone.  She listened and unified, ultimately pulling people together.  Hosting parties was her joy.  Everyone gathered at the Hennemans.

Time was a loose idea to Betty.  People always came first.  “I’ll get there when I get there,”  she would say. Her ability to follow her own clock, and still deliver, rang true in her wee hour determination and effortless next day presentation. 

Laughter was contagious, especially for Betty.  Never afraid to laugh at herself, she’d have us all going.  Once it started, she couldn’t stop!

Betty read faithfully.  As a regular book club member, she kept up even though she had to search for one of her 25 pairs of reading glasses.  

And then there was music…music in the MSW choir, at the CSO, the Philharmonic, the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra AND everyday throughout the house. Family gatherings filled her home with everyone singing around her at the piano.  Betty passed on peacefully on March 9, 2023 surrounded by family while her favorite classical music reached its crescendo.  Music was life!

We will forever hold her laughter and love in our hearts.  

Visitation Thursday March 16, 3-8 p.m. at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home, 120 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge. Funeral Friday, 9:15 a.m. from funeral home to Mary, Seat of Wisdom Church. Mass 10 a.m. Interment All Saints Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra  https://cso.org or  Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish https://mswparish.org

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty W. (nee Wellner) Henneman, please visit our floral store.