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Elizabeth Wadsack entered the nearer presence of the Lord April 30, 2025, surrounded by all her children. She was born in Cairo, Illinois, and grew up in Mounds, Illinois, where her mother operated a beauty shop in the front room of the family home. As a teen, “Bette” worked in Hays’ grocery store, and later in her college cafeteria and library. She graduated from McKendree with an English degree in 1956 – after acquiring husband Virgil there in 1955. The two graduates worked a year in the Chicago area before making their permanent home in San Antonio, where their three children were born and raised. Bette taught first grade for several schools in the San Antonio and North East Independent School Districts, deploying her expertise in phonics to give the gift of reading to hundreds of Texas children. She liked movies and ice cream and camping. She loved to travel, and she toured across America and beyond, to Europe, Japan, and Israel. Yet, Bette would rate family as her greater treasure, and time with them – kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids – as her more precious joy. A great cook, she made a tasty fudge in her youth. In maturity, she served sweet pecan pies with nuts harvested from her back yard. And music! Bette gave us music, gracing her home with the sounds of piano, from Bach to Boogie-woogie. She sang for decades in various venues as a soloist and with others (in duets, trios, quartets, octets, and choirs) in college, in churches, as a traveling participant with Sweet Adelines International – and at countless family gatherings where music bonded her generations of descendants. Songs and poetry from decades past poured from her lips with ease, to the bemusement of her family. To her final days, she would fall asleep reciting Psalm 23. Bette was an early member of Bible Study Fellowship, influencing multiple family members to join, also. She taught the love of God by word and example, being faithful to her first and second husbands to death and generously loving her large family. She was warm and welcoming, kind and accepting, gracious and forgiving; for she herself is forgiven in Christ. Elizabeth is preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Marshall and Ruby Alice Ridgeway, sisters Barbara Dunker and Bonita Robertson, brother Bill Ridgeway, first husband (of forty-five years) Virgil Ray Wadsack, and second husband Othell Bain. She is survived by children Kirk (Kim) Wadsack, David (Darylene) Wadsack, and Gail (John) Mack, plus eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren – with more on the way. Visitation will be May 13 from 5:00-9:00 pm at Mission Park (3401 Cherry Ridge Dr.). The memorial funeral service will be May 14 at 12:00 noon, at Mission Park South (1700 SE Military Dr), with a graveside service to follow immediately. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Bible Study Fellowship, the San Antonio Salvation Army, or McKendree University.

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Elizabeth Wadsack

March 15, 1934 - April 30, 2025