Betty Roof, 83, of Newton and formerly of Grinnell, died on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at Traditions Memory Care in Newton.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. A memorial gathering will be held from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Grinnell.

Memorials may be designated in her name (please make checks payable to her grandson, Brett Roof) and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Betty's family online at www.smithfh.com.

Betty Lou Baird was born in Poweshiek County on November15, 1939, in Montezuma, Iowa, the daughter of Joseph Elmer Baird and Tonnie Mae (Griffin) Baird. She was raised on the family farm near Montezuma until she was five. The family moved to Belle Plaine and then returned to Montezuma in 1948. She graduated from Montezuma High School in May of 1957.

Following her education, Betty moved to Des Moines to work at the Des Moines Register and Tribune. She returned to Montezuma and began working at her parent's restaurant, Joe's Cafe in Montezuma.

She met Donald Howard Roof of Grinnell and they were united in marriage on June 4, 1961, at the Montezuma United Methodist Church. They were blessed with two sons, Joseph Carl Roof and Donald Howard Roof, Jr., and a daughter, Beverly Ann Roof. They raised their family in Grinnell and Malcom, respectively. Betty was a child care provider and later was employed at Grinnell College in the Food Service Division for seven years. She went on to work at the Cattle Call Café and then managed the kitchen at the Grinnell Country Club. After her husband's death, she became a Certified Nurse Aide, working as a traveling nurse aide and then in nursing homes in Grinnell, and a Home Health Aide for Grinnell General Hospital and St. Francis Manor. She lived and worked as a CNA in Arizona for a year, returning back to Grinnell and moving in with her brother, Bud Baird. Upon his death, she became a live-in caregiver to Ronald Vols. She held a special love for her dogs.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Don in 1989; son, Joe in 1995. She is survived by her son, Don (Delores) Roof, Jr. of Grinnell; daughter, Beverly Roof of Grinnell; and grandsons, Brett (Jamie) Roof and Lance White.