Agatha (Peckham) Bettendorff, 92, died peacefully from pneumonia Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, with her family at her side.
She was born Sept. 8, 1925, to Antoni and Mary Stepien in Massena, N.Y. Agatha graduated from Massena High School in 1941 at age 15, and from Central City Business Institute in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1942. From 1942 to 1949, she worked as a secretary in Syracuse and Massena, and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Mom married Charles "Chuck" Peckham in 1948 in Syracuse. They moved to Appleton, Wis., in 1948, to Wabash, Ind., in 1951, and to Clarkston in 1964. She was a lifelong member of Holy Family Catholic Parish in Clarkston, where she served as a eucharistic minister and worked on funeral dinners for 20-plus years. She also was a prayer pal for many children at Holy Family School. She enjoyed gardening, swimming, camping, reading and all the family gatherings, and wowed her family with the "ancient art" of breaking a banana in half.
Chuck died in 1986 and Agatha later married Oscar Bettendorff, a former high school classmate, in 1993. She is survived by her husband, Oscar, of Lewiston; her sister, Florence Woodard, of Eugene, Ore.; and her six children, Mary Lawrence (Keith) of Lewiston, and their sons, Joseph (Holley Ritz), Thomas and Benjamin; Donald Peckham (Becky) of Battle Ground, Wash.; Guy Peckham (Elizabeth) of Seattle and their daughters, Claire and Caitlin; Jean Smith (Mark) of Colbert, Wash., and their children Emma and Wyatt; Kathy Peckham (Bruce Smith) of Ridgway, Colo.; David Peckham of Pullman; along with Agatha's numerous nieces and nephews. In addition, survivors include Oscar's sons John Bettendorff (Jennifer), of San Francisco, and their sons Owen and Tao; Thomas Bettendorff of Annandale, Minn., and their sons Joseph and Jacob; and Bill Escobedo of San Jose, Calif., and his children, Michael and Danielle.
The rosary will be recited at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Clarkston, with a funeral Mass to follow at 11 a.m. The Rev. Richard Root will officiate. Burial is at 1:30 p.m. at Vineland Cemetery in Clarkston. Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home of Lewiston is in charge of local arrangements.
Donations in Agatha's memory can be made to Holy Family School, Clarkston.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Saturday, February 24, 11:00 AM
- Location
-
Holy Family Catholic Church
1109 Chestnut Street
Clarkston, Washington 99403
Get Directions - Additional Details
- Rosary will take place at 10:00 a.m.
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