Elizabeth Ann Dunhaupt

Betty Dunhaupt May 22, 1925 - November 7, 2022

Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Richards was born May 22, 1925 to Anna Elizabeth Gwinner Richards and school superintendent Walter Marvin Richards. Betty was joined by siblings Mary G., John, Marvin, and Millie Orr. The family's homes were in Herington, then Dodge City, and finally Emporia, Kansas.

After earning her teaching degree at Kansas State Teachers College and taking her husband's last name, Dunhaupt, Betty started her family in Emporia. By 1958 when she moved to Topeka she was an engaged community member, recruiting her children to go door to door for the March of Dimes polio campaign and heart fund. She was a Girl Scout leader and day camp director before she began working for the Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council in the 1960s, then back to Emporia as Executive Director, and on to Hutchinson. She moved to Manhattan to study public administration at Kansas State University, completing her Master's degree at age sixty, when the Topeka YWCA hired her to find employment for seniors. After her retirement she worked for Dillon's grocery, first in the bakery then delivering pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile she continued to volunteer. Betty's PEO sisters (she was a member for more than 75 years) are dedicated to women's education. She also cherished doing laundry and calling mammogram appointment reminders for the Sisters at the Marian Clinic. She donated blood and platelets as long as she could. She was active in her neighborhood improvement association. She voted in every election and worked the polls for most of three decades. In the 1960s she voted Democrat for the first time and gradually found her political home with that party. She loved volunteering for the Kansas Alliance of Professional Historical Performers during Kansas Sampler Festivals. Betty was President of Topeka's First United Methodist Church UMW and organized the legislative luncheon for years. In 2001 Betty received a Topeka Volunteer Shining Star Award for her work with the Marian Clinic and the YWCA Battered Women Task Force Court Advocate Program. In 2007 Governor Kathleen Sebelius awarded her the State of Kansas Points of Light Award for Outstanding Service. Betty moved to Rose Hill Apartments so she would not be tempted to mow and garden. But she took large pots for tomatoes, basil, mint, and geraniums. Her next move was to Atria Independent Living where Betty and a friend organized the library. She was an ardent fan of Topeka Shawnee County Public Library.

Betty is survived by her five children (Ann Elizabeth Birney of Admire, KS; Susan Frances Dunhaupt of Northfield, MN; Donald Richards "Dick" or "Tator" Dunhaupt of Bainbridge Island,WA; Mary Beth Figgins of Meriden, KS; Deborah McKean Veatch of Salina) and their families. Her eight-week-old Minnesota great granddaughter, Maeve Ann Tilson-Doheny, was among the many family members who supported her during her last days on this earth plane. Siblings Mary G. Hawley and John M. Richards preceded her departure. Betty's family thanks the Atria Hearthstone communities and Dr. Bruce and colleagues for their years of caring for us all, and thanks the Gardens at Aldersgate and Prairie Wind Hospice staff for their last tender care. Betty would celebrate your donation to PEO, a hospice, Heifer International, or the charity of your choice. Contact a family member if you want to be notified about next year's Betty Fest.

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