Betty Zins

Betty (Gegan) Zins, retired teacher, 87, died Thursday, November 22, 2012 at Benedictine Living Community of St. Peter.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at The Church of St. Peter with Fr. Phil Schotzko and Fr. James Moran officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, St. Peter. Visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Catholic Daughters Rosary at St. Peter Funeral Home-Klein Chapel on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.

Betty was born on January 26, 1925 to Lawrence H. and Frances (Culp) Gegan at their home in Washington Township, Le Sueur County. She attended All Saints Grade School in Madison Lake for three years, and then attended District 84, Le Sueur County. Betty graduated from Cleveland High School in 1941. She attended Mankato Teachers College in 1941-1942 and began her teaching career in District 73, Waseca County in the fall of 1942, at the age of 17. In 1944, Betty moved to District 20, Nicollet County where she taught 2 years before her marriage to Edmund W. Zins at Marysburg on August 29, 1946. They farmed in Granby Township for 27 years before moving to St. Peter in 1973. During those years, she served on numerous charity drives, was secretary for the Nicollet County NFO, and was a member of the Church of the Visitation at Swan Lake.

Betty was employed by Production Credit at the St. Peter branch office and then by the central office at Mankato from 1964-1969. She returned to Mankato State University, and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education in 1972. She subsequently taught at St. Peter and Paul's grade school in Mankato. Upon moving to St. Peter, she worked as an aide for 2 months and spent 14 " years teaching remedial reading and learning disabled students at North, Central, South, John Ireland, and St. Peter High School. Betty retired in 1990.

Betty was the first chairperson of the Rural Life Committee of the New Ulm Diocese Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW); Vice Chairman of the Rural Life Committee of the National Council of Catholic Women; Secretary of the New Ulm Deanery of NUDCCW, first Secretary of Region 7 of NUDCCW; and past Regent of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, St. Peter Court #1508. She also served 4 years as ceremonial coordinator for court #1508.

As a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church, Betty was a lector at daily mass, lectured at Sunday Mass, was a Eucharistic Minister, Sacristan, and presided Word and Communion services. She received the Bishop's Medal of Service in 1996.

Betty enjoyed reading, bird watching, writing, gardening, dancing, and yard work.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Nancy; two sons and daughter-in-laws: Evan and Lu Ann and E. Jay and Judie; six grandchildren: Zachary, Sarah, Cleo, Michelle, Jennifer, and Jason; five great-grandchildren; seven nephews and one niece.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Edmund in 1990; father in 1939; mother in 1982; brother, Christy in 1943; and sister, Grayce Kortuem in 2009.