Betty (Strauch) Justice
July 22, 1950 - July 17, 2024
Betty (Strauch) Justice passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on July 17, 2024, in her home after a long battle with cancer.
Betty was born in Billings, Mont., on July 22, 1950, and grew up on the family farm in nearby Laurel. After graduating high school in 1968, she attended Kinman Business University in Spokane before returning to Laurel. She later met her first husband Tom Dell and moved to Greybull, Wyo., after a short time in Washington and Minnesota. Her son Shanon was born in 1975.
An active member and one-time president of the local BPO DOES, she often helped cook and serve meals for many large events held at the Greybull Elks Lodge in the early 1980s. Betty worked at First Interstate Bank in Greybull as a secretary during that time.
In 1986, Betty moved back to Laurel with Shanon. She returned to Greybull and married Jim Justice in 1996. She worked as a house cleaner and bartender, including serving as bar manager at the Eagles Club in Basin, Wyo.
Betty was a wonderful and skilled cook who could make delicious meals while also keeping her home immaculately clean for her family. Her favorite activities were always outdoors, including fishing and gardening. One of her proudest moments was catching a 23 pound catfish from the Big Horn River near Greybull. She also enjoyed playing cards and games, watching crime shows, and doing crossword puzzles. Each Sunday in the fall, she faithfully watched the Denver Broncos, cheering for them when they were winning and cussing and stomping out to the garage (to cuss some more) when they were losing.
Betty will be greatly missed by friends and family. The people closest to her will never be able to thank her enough for how hard she worked to give them a comfortable and clean home, delicious meals and good company.
Betty is survived by her husband Jim Justice, son Shanon Dell, brothers Bill (Linda) Strauch, Melvin Strauch, stepdaughter Jackelyn (Alvaro), and granddaughters Gabi, Alexa, and Alayna Garay.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Dorothy Strauch, sister Sharon, and grandson A.J. Garay.
A celebration of life will be held at the Greybull Elks Lodge at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.
In lieu of flowers and in tribute to Betty, donations can be made in her name to a memorial fund at Big Horn Federal bank in Greybull, with all proceeds going to the Montana Hope Project (https://montanahope.org/).
Condolences can be shared on Betty’s memorial page at (www.BallardFH.com).