Betty (Elizabeth) Esser, 102, of Urbana died at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 in her apartment at Autumn Fields, Savoy.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 16, 2017 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Urbana. Rev. Father John Pham and Rev. Father Doug Hennessy will officiate. A visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel & Crematory in Urbana. Burial will be held at a later date.

Betty was born on July 11, 1914 in Aurora, IL to parents Bert and Minnie (Pittard) Bullock. They preceded her in death. She married the late Carl Esser in 1941 in Aurora.

Betty attended Northern Illinois State Teachers College and received her teaching degree in 1933.She went back after she was widowed and completed her bachelors degree at then Northern Illinois University. She taught kindergarten in West Aurora until she retired in 1976.

In 1989 Betty moved to Urbana where she volunteered with local schools. She loved to travel, play scrabble and was an unofficial grandma to many children. She was a member of St. Patrick's parish where she volunteered with the food bank. Betty moved to an apartment at Autumn Fields in July of 2015, there she enjoyed the company of new friends and many activities.

Betty is survived by three children; Kay Evans (E. Graham) of Urbana, Steve Esser (Kathy Manger) of Kendall Park, NJ and Liz Epps (John) of St. Louis, MO. She had six grandchildren; Carl Evans, Michael Evans, Ursula Seckel, Tina Esser, Carl Esser and Dustin Hotz as well as two great grandchildren Nora Evans and Lily Hotz, all of whom survive her.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Patrick's/ St. Vincent De Paul Food Kitchen. Condolences may be offered at renner-wikoffchapel.com.