Betty Stavig, 89, of Webster, passed away Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Bethesda Home in Webster.
Memorial services will be 11am Friday, April 17, 2026, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Webster. Inurnment will be at the Roslyn Cemetery.
Memorial visitation will be 5-7pm Thursday, April 16, 2026, at Fiksdal Funeral Service.
Condolences may be sent c/o Crystal Bender 20592 411th Ave Cavour, SD 57324
Betty May (Ronshaugen) Stavig was born on August 11, 1936, in Webster, SD, to Elmer Melvin Ronshaugen and Lavina Emily (Metz) Ronshaugen. Betty was the second daughter of four born to Elmer and Lavina.
Betty went home from the hospital to the Ronshaugen homestead, located west of Roslyn, where she lived with her parents, her sister Barbara, their grandparents, Sarah and Sievert Ronshaugen, and their great-grandmother, Martha Ronshaugen. Two more sisters, Bonita and Martha, were welcomed into their home in 1939 and 1940. In 1949, the Ronshaugen family moved to a farm southeast of Roslyn.
Betty was baptized on September 30, 1936 at Fron Lutheran Church and confirmed on April 2, 1950 at Roslyn Lutheran Church. Strong family values were the foundation of Betty’s faith. During her time as a member of St. John’s, Betty enjoyed the fellowship of belonging to the Dorcas Circle, including hosting the Circle members for Bible study.
Betty began her education by attending country school at Liberty Township District #124 first through sixth grade and continuing her education at Roslyn Consolidated School District grades seventh through twelfth. She graduated from high school in 1954 along with her sister Barbara.
Betty and her oldest sister, Barbara, attended Northern State College in Aberdeen, SD, for 2 years, both graduating with degrees in Education in 1956.
Betty’s first teaching job was in Watertown in 1956. She made an impact on many students in the Webster, Roslyn, and Canton, SD school districts. She worked in various capacities in the field of education for 45 years until retiring from Webster Public School District in July of 2001.
Betty married Roger Stavig on August 1, 1958, at Roslyn Lutheran Church. Together, they raised 4 children: Crystal Dawn, Kay Leigh, Kelly R., and Amy Beth.
Betty lived in the Roslyn/Webster area most of her life, with the exception of 5 years when the Stavig family moved to Canton, SD. Betty was very proud of her Day County roots. She was honored when she was selected as the Vinegar Queen for the Roslyn Vinegar Festival in 2021.
Along with Betty’s passion for education, she was an accomplished seamstress, doing alterations for the Elevator Store in Webster, along with sewing garments for her children and many others, including countless elaborate wedding and prom dresses.
Betty’s hobbies included being an avid reader, usually reading three or four books a week. Betty enjoyed nature and the outdoors, including going for rides through the countryside to see the geese migrating in the spring and fall, trips to the Stavig farm north of Webster to check the garden and the crops, along with planting and tending her flowers. She also enjoyed playing board games with her family, with Scrabble and Yahtzee being two of the family’s favorites. Since entering Bethesda four years ago, Betty was a competitive Bingo player and enjoyed participating in the variety of other activities that Bethesda provided.
Our Mother and grandmother was excellent cook. Homemade bread made into toast, cinnamon rolls and Christmas treats were the favorites. According to her sons-in-law, if you left Betty’s table hungry, it was your own fault. Not only were baking and sharing Christmas treats a favorite pastime of Betty’s, but decorating for any holiday, especially Christmas brought her great joy.
Betty is survived by her 3 daughters, Crystal (Rodney) Bender of Cavour, SD, Kay Leigh (Bryan) Kindopp of Denton, TX and Amy (Jon) Mack of Watertown, SD. Her 10 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren, Adam (Amanda) Bender and their four sons, Connor, Eain, Remington, and Marshall of Lead, SD, Allison Bender of Pierre, SD, Alex (Alexis) Kindopp of New Canaan, CT, Archer Kindopp and fiancée Chelsea Nark of Dallas, TX, Aleese Kindopp and fiancé Nicholas Loesch of Prosper, TX, Remington (Caitlin) Stavig and their two children, Easton and Clara of Roslyn, Gage Stavig of Watertown, Sterling, Sawyer and Scarlett Mack of Watertown.
She is also survived by her sister Martha (Gene) Livingston of Salem, SD, her brother-in-law Arnie Anderson of Webster, her nieces and nephews Debbie, Scott, Kent, Paula, and Todd.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Roger and her son, Kelly; her parents, Elmer and Lavina Ronshaugen; her in-laws, Melvin and Edna Stavig; her sister and brother-in-law, James and Barbara Hagen, her niece Cindy Reese, her sister Bonita Anderson, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Eldon and Kathleen Stavig, nephew Jeffrey Stavig.
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