Agnes "Aggie" Bettner

Agnes Hull (Simmons) Bettner, 86, passed peacefully on December 11 in her Oregon home. Agnes (Aggie) was born on December 26, 1938, in Akron, Ohio, to George H. Simmons and Agnes A. Simmons.

The family left Akron and moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 6,1941. Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7. The family immediately moved back to Akron to live with Fisk and Fairy Hull, her grandparents. The men left for war, and the women and children worked the family Hull Restaurant. Aggie has fond memories of playing with cousins Dickie and Dinny, and her brother, Hezzie, and sister, Susan (Cooie), in the restaurant basement playing hide and seek with table linens hanging on lines to dry. This was much to the chagrin of their mothers, who then had to rewash, dry and iron the tablecloths—an all day job! She also remembered the nights that her grandfather took her from the restaurant to see the kleig lights searching the air for German bombers. Akron was the rubber capital and a prime enemy target. After the war, the family moved to Glencoe and LaGrange, IL, before making Oregon their home.

Aggie was in fifth grade when her father was relocated to Oregon as a Plant Manager for Quaker Oats. The family lived in the Sinnissippi Hotel for two months before moving into Clyde Meyers’ house on north sixth street. There, her childhood friends, Norma Armour, Pat Kinn, and Claudia Nice ice skated on their flooded side yard. They hopped the fences to avoid paying admissions at the Ogle County Fair, and did primitive camping with the Girl Scouts at Camp McCormick.

In high school, Aggie loved playing the drums in the band and was instrumental in creating the Oregon fight song. She met her future husband, Ed Bettner, who played football for the Oregon Hawks. During their senior year in 1957, they ran against each other for Class President. Ed won by one vote. Let’s just say, he never let her forget it!

Ed and Aggie were married on December 14, 1957. During their 58 years of marriage, they welcomed and raised five children. Aggie also worked outside the home as a telephone operator, a TMH aide, and a postal clerk. Aggie and her dear friend, Rachel Birkhead, also started Hillside Nursery School in the basement of her home on Monroe Street. In 1984 Aggie opened her own woman’s store, Bettner’s, in Conover Square. For ten years, Aggie was an administrative assistant at the Byron Nuclear Plant and retired in1999.

A strong advocate of education, Aggie followed in the footsteps of her mother, who was the first woman to serve on the Oregon School Board. She served many years, awarding her children their diplomas at high school graduation.

In 1947, while living in LaGrange, Aggie’s dad and his friend, Bob Beasley, hatched plans to build the first cabins on Steuben Lake located in the UP of Michigan deep within the Hiawatha National Forest. Very primitive—garbage dumps, black bears and potty houses! This was Aggie’s true happy place, where weeks of every summer were spent, both as a child and as an adult. In 2018 the entire family and her siblings gathered at “The Cabin” to reminisce and celebrate her 80th birthday. The cabin is still in the family—five generations and counting!

No matter the age, family was always at the center of Aggie’s life. Immensely proud of the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren, Aggie cherished their visits, regaling in the stories of their shenanigans. She also coveted the times spent with cousins and dear friends and neighbors over the years. She was always up for a trip to Angel’s Treasures.

In her final years, Aggie became passionate about serving the homeless and needy in her community. She spent hours making soups and sack lunches, which she delivered a few times a week to the Mini Center at Conover.

Aggie was preceded in death by her parents and husband. Survived by her five children: Catherine (John) DeVries, Madison, MS; Elizabeth (Betsy) (John) Hegel, Naples, FL; Mary Bettner, Charlottesville, VA; Edwin (Tina) Bettner, Oregon, IL; Jonathan (Maria Leo) Bettner, Oregon, IL. Ten Grandchildren: Bryan DeVries, Brett DeVries, Scott Hegel, Emily Hegel, Randi VanHorn, David Bettner, Adam Bettner, Bella Bettner, Jack Bettner, Claire Bettner. Great-Grandchildren: Caroline DeVries, Carson DeVries, Harper DeVries, Hudson DeVries, Tate Bettner, Dane VanHorn, Ripp VanHorn. Siblings: George Simmons, Grafton, WI; Susan (Bob) Weirath, Akron, OH.

Per Aggie’s wishes, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the River’s Edge in Oregon, IL from 2:00-5:00 PM with a Sharing of Memories at 3:00 PM