Betty Emily Hecht

Hecht, Betty Emily, passed away peacefully at the age of 102 on November 2, 2024, at Meramec Bluffs in Ballwin, Missouri. She is remembered with love and gratitude by her children Philip Hecht and Kathryn Hartz; sons-in-law Harry Witt and Terry Hartz; grandchildren Sarah Witt, Christine Bull, Rachel Sutton, David Hecht, Elizabeth Hecht and Matthew Hartz; and great grandchildren Maya and Jay Bull, Leonas and Elijas Hartz, Adeline Greenblatt and Luke Sutton. She is preceded in death by her son Louis Hecht, husband Reverend Harold Hecht and daughter Mary Witt. Betty Emily Hecht was born on May 12, 1922 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Herbert and Lydia Meinzen. She was confirmed in 1936 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and graduated in 1940 from Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne. She attended Valparaiso University for one year, then worked at Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne for several years before returning to Valparaiso to complete her A.B. degree in Business and Geography in 1948. She sang in the University Choir and met Harold (Joe) Hecht at a concert at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. After a whirlwind romance conducted exclusively through letters during Joe’s vicarage year in London, England, they married on October 9, 1949. Betty moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Joe was pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, and had four children there: Louis (1952), Phil (1953), Mary (1955) and Kate (1958). In 1959 she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she lived until 1988, when she and Joe moved to St. Louis to be closer to Mary and Kate. In 2009, she moved to Meramec Bluffs, where she lived the rest of her life. During her 36 years in St. Louis, she doted on her six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, traveled to every annual Hecht family reunion, and was always a joy to be with. Betty embodied a perfect combination of personal attributes - loving to family and friends, kind to all she met, strong in dealing with adversity, unwavering in her faith, and accepting of her many roles in life. As her mother Lydia said, she “came from good stock.” She endured premature tragedies when her first child Louis died at birth, when Joe was diagnosed with dementia, and when Mary died from cancer. And she persevered through her own health setbacks: brain surgery, loss of hearing, loss of one kidney and macular degeneration. Throughout these challenges, she remained cheerful and confident that she was in God’s hands. Throughout her earthly life, Betty inspired all who knew and loved her. In her heavenly life, she will delight the angels. Services: Betty’s visitation will be held at the SCHRADER Funeral Home, 14960 Manchester Rd., Ballwin, MO 63011, on Friday, November 15, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Her funeral service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church Chesterfield, 14088 Clayton Rd., Town and Country, MO 63017 on November 16, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Bellerive Gardens, 740 N Mason Rd., St. Louis, MO 63141. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church, Lutheran School of Theology - Chicago (Harold Hecht Scholarship Fund), or Lutheran Family and Children Services. Friends may sign the online guestbook at Schrader.com.

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Betty Emily Hecht

May 12, 1922 - November 2, 2024