BETTY LEE BANEVICH

Betty Lee (nee Krupla) Banevich, age 74, of Brunswick, Ohio, passed away on Monday, April 5, 2021 surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born January 2, 1947 in Cleveland, OH to the late John and Margaret (Nagy) Krupla.

Betty touched the lives of so many students as a fifth grade teacher at Buckeye Local Schools for sixteen years. Her impact reached far beyond her classroom walls as she continued to be part of her student's lives long after they graduated.

Betty will be deeply missed by her loving husband Charles, with whom she was blessed to share 49 years of marriage; daughter, Kathryn Thompson and daughter-in law Megan Thompson; grandchildren Olivia, Sofia, Alaina, and Nolan; sisters Beverly Metheney and Glenna Cika; nieces and nephews Charles Jackson-Hamer, Sylvia Simak, Steven Cika Jr., Jonathan List; and many beloved great nieces and nephews. Betty was loved and deeply cared for by her sisters-in-law, Julie Banevich and Gina Huff.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Margaret, sister Sylvia, and granddaughter Sofia.

The following was written by Betty's daughter, Kathryn:

"When I think of my mom the word that always comes to mind is BIG. I try to think of a fancier word for her but nothing really truly fits. I am certainly not using big to describe her stature. At barely 5' and with a shoe size of a toddler no one would ever confuse her for BIG. But there is no one, not one single person on the face of this earth, who embodies the word more than my mom.

For starters if you ever were the recipient of a meal from my mom, you know she didn't cook SMALL. My mom did not know (or care to know) how to cook for just a few people. She cooked BIG. At any given moment of any given day there would inexplicably be a giant pot of boiled chicken on the stove. It didn't matter if she was making a steak dinner- she still needed to boil chicken. Food to her was love. It was comfort. It was purpose. If you walked in to my mom's kitchen or were the recipient of a meal, you knew her cooking was an extension of her. It was her love, her kindness, her gratitude, her generosity, just HER.

Again-thinking of BIG-I remember going to see a movie in the theater and immediately thinking "watching this with my mom is going to be incredible." Her laugh, her emotions, her cries were just that BIG that it made watching the movie even more wonderful. It was like seeing something for the very first time. Her big laugh was absolutely infectious. People would look back from their seats-not in anger; nope never-but in the feeling you got that SHE made it better. Because to watch a movie with my mom was to EXPERIENCE a movie. She was the embodiment, in full unabashed splendor, of every single emotion. She amplified them in a way that made you feel a part of something. She was an experience unto herself.

I remember one vacation we were going to travel to Toronto to see the Phantom of the Opera. We were always listening to the soundtrack because she loved it so much. My mom never listened to any music quietly. She listened in the biggest way she could. One day she pulled into my aunt's driveway, popped the hatch of the minivan and cranked the bass up of the Phantom soundtrack. But it truly didn't matter what it was-"Baby Got Back" or "Phantom of the Opera"-she enjoyed it in the biggest way possible. Bass pumping, beats dropping, and my mama's booty shakin'.

Not much embodies the spirit or the soul of BIG than my mom's love of gambling. Anyone who knew her knew her love of slots. My mom's squeals of excitement while sitting at a slot machine drew crowds. We would say to the growing crowds, "yeah she's just won like $100. Sorry. Nothing really to see here." But there was. There was always something BIG to see, to feel, to be a part of when my mom was there. The amount never mattered. What mattered was just HER. People rooted for her, clapped for her, and felt a part of her even for that small moment. We learned to just simply stand back and watch-her big, happy, fun, LOUD laughing self a sight to behold.


When I think of BIG and I think of my sweet mom, the BIGGEST part of her was her heart. No one had one bigger. Her love for her family, her students, her friends, any creature (except raccoons and occasionally squirrels) knew absolutely no bounds. My mom would stop traffic to rescue an animal-her own life on the line-it didn't matter. She would nurse a baby bird back from the brink of death and watch with pride as it reunited with its mama. She would research recipes, games, decor, and so much more just to make a holiday a truly memorable experience for everyone. But little did she know that SHE was the magic behind it all. She was what made everything special. Her BIG, beautiful, bright, loving, glowing, infectious spirit was what made everything feel just a little safer. She was what made everything feel just a little brighter and a little more magical. She was just that BIG."

The family will receive friends for Betty on Saturday, April 10, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until time of service at 12:00 pm in the Carlson Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, 1642 Pearl Road, (1/2 mile south of Rt. 303) Brunswick, Ohio 44212. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Valley City.