Elizabeth Mayer Drought
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Bette Ann passed away peacefully with family on November 3, 2021, in Glendale, Wisconsin. Fondly known to many as "Pooshie," the name bestowed by her Dutch grandmother, Bette Ann grew up in Milwaukee and Shorewood, Wisconsin, graduating from Shorewood High School in 1950 and from Carleton College in 1954 with a degree in Sociology and Psychology.
After college, Bette Ann worked for Lutheran Social Services in Minneapolis, placing children for adoption, and for the American Heart Association in Madison. She met Tom Drought at a mutual friend's wedding in 1956 and they were married in 1957. Bette Ann and Tom built their life together in Bayside, Wisconsin, where they lived for nearly 60 years, raising five children, four dogs and various snakes and lizards. Pooshie spent every summer since childhood at Lake Julia in northern Wisconsin at the house built by her grandfather Adam Mayer in 1915 and, in later years, at the Drought cabin.
Bette Ann was unique and unconventional, and her spirit shone brightly. She was an accomplished painter and art enthusiast and a talented knitter. She was inspired by naturalists Aldo Leopold and Jens Jensen to preserve the natural environment and to foster the use of native plants. This became a life-long passion.
She was devoted to her faith, which she shared with the communities of Fox Point Lutheran Church and Faith Lutheran Church in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. She helped organize the first nursery school at Fox Point Lutheran Church in 1968. Bette Ann served as a dedicated member of the Bayside Civic Improvement Committee and the Milwaukee Art Museum Garden Club and promoted natural landscaping throughout the communities in which she lived and worked. She served as a docent for the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Bradley Sculpture Garden as well as a volunteer for the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and the Urban Ecology Center.
Bette Ann is survived by her daughter Kay (Jeff) of Portsmouth, NH, son Jim (Carolyn) of Franklin, WI, son T.J. (Nancy) of Columbus, OH, daughter Amy (Jeff) of Rome, Italy, and daughter Ellen of Shorewood, WI; thirteen grandchildren: Emma, Jonah and Daniel; Julia (Michael), Jonathan and Timothy; Adam (Liesl), Thomas James III (Tommy), Matthew and Elizabeth (Liza); and Samuel, Thomas and Paul; and great-granddaughter Amelia. Pooshie is also survived by her sisters-in-law Marge Mayer of Glendale, WI, Patricia Brynteson of St. Paul, MN and Ellen Templeton of Duncan, OK, as well as by her best friend for 74 years, Mary Morton of Chicago, IL. Bette Ann is also survived by Australian Shepherd Sheba, her near-constant companion for the last 10 years. Bette Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Betty Mayer, and by her brother, Fritz Mayer.
The family would like to extend their deep appreciation and thanks to the staff, nurses and caregivers of Heartland Hospice, Home Helpers of Mequon and Silverado North Shore.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate support to the following organizations, which represent themes in Bette Ann's incredible life: Lutheran Social Services, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Three Lakes Waterfront Association and the Urban Ecology Center.
The family will celebrate Bette Ann's life on Saturday, April 23, 2022 with a memorial service beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Fox Point Lutheran Church, 7510 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Fox Point, WI 53217. Reception to follow.
Feerick Funeral Home in Milwaukee, WI is serving the family, (414)962-8383, www.feerickfuneralhome.com