Betty Biscoe

My Life Story Betty Biscoe was born Feb.19, 1924 to Esther and Martin Gahley of Parma, Idaho. Her happy childhood was colored by 2 major events. The first was contracting spinal meningitis and taking over a year to recover. She was one of 7 cases in the Boise Valley and the only one to survive. The second was the loss of her father. While working for Morrison-Knudsen in Guam during the war, he was taken prisoner and died in a prisoner of war camp in Japan. Betty's family life was changed forever. She eventually met a handsome, young airman, named Thomas "Boots" Biscoe, and they were married on Jan. 27, 1943 in Tacoma, Washington. They became the proud parents of 4 girls, the first 2 born in Oregon and the last 2 born in Maryland where Boots was from. Betty and Boots lived in Oregon, Maryland, Texas, California, and finally found their way back to Betty's beloved Idaho. During these years Betty worked for a bank, a newspaper, an NCO Club, and a jewelry store as a bookkeeper. During her years in Idaho she worked first for Oppel Harvester, then Winco. Winco was Waremart when she started but Winco when she retired. Betty enjoyed retirement, especially many trips to the Oregon Coast usually with a grandchild or great-grandchild in tow whom she would regale with stories of her family settling in the Willowa Valley or how some family member was rumored to have brought noxious plants to the Parma area or where the Indian Burial grounds were in the Columbia River Gorge. Her copilots had to beware of Grandma's arm flying across their faces as she shouted, "Look!" That usually meant she had spotted an animal, a barge was on the river, or maybe the wind surfers were busy. She was lucky enough to visit Greece with a good friend where they followed the travels of St. Paul and felt honored to serve for several years on the Board of Pensions for the Northwest Conference of United Methodist churches. She was a Rebekah for over 70 years. Survivors include her children: Regina Ainslie, Janice Keeton, Teresa and Terry Zanders, and Karen Lyle; her grandchildren: Sally, Ty and Keith Zanders, Shauna Garrard, Stephanie and Rich Tackett, and Crystal Marshall; her great-grandchildren: Noah Marshall, Zack and Aleeya Zanders, Chris and Erin Garrard; and her best friend and brother, Melvin Gahley and his wife Anne. She was preceded in death by her husband Boots, her brothers Richard and Ben Gahley and a grandson, Stephan Marshall. Services will be conducted Friday, July 25th, at 10:00 AM at the Lower Boise Valley Cemetery, 22410 Ten Davis Rd. in Parma with Pastor John Mars of Meridian United Methodist Church presiding. Condolences may be sent to the family at 1303 N. Main St., Meridian, ID 83642 or online at www.AccentFuneral.com. Services are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home, Meridian. Life was hard for Betty, but she was a tough survivor. Her family found it difficult to leave her after her death. She had been a part of them so long, leaving her didn't seem right somehow. She was their leader, the one who always knew what to do and they were adrift. "Mom, we told you we’d be fine and we will, but we will feel your presence and miss you forever. We love you."