Betty Rohrich

Betty Julia Rohrich, became one of the angels in Heaven on the first day of Spring, March 20th 2018. She was born in Yakima, Washington on September 30th, 1931 to Mary (Gritzfeld) and Lawrence Miller and was the eighth of nine children. The family was like many in that era, they lived in a tar paper shack and worked in the hop fields of the valley. Betty graduated from Yakima High School, now A. C. Davis, in 1949. She was very proud to be a ‘49er and was a part of planning and attending many class reunions. Betty married Joseph F. Rohrich on May 5th, 1951 at St Paul Cathedral in Yakima. The couple was blessed with three children and continued to live in Yakima and Selah all their lives. Betty and Joe celebrated sixty-two years of marriage before his passing in 2013. Family was very important to Betty. She was most happy when many family members would gather for a meal or a holiday party. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren provided her with pride and joy throughout the years. She meticulously chronicled the many water skiing trips, vacations and family events in wonderful photo albums which will be treasured for years to come. The last trip taken by Betty was a cruise to Alaska with her son Mike and daughter Connie and their spouses which was deemed the 12th Man Fan Cruise. Betty met and had pictures taken with the former Seahawk players on board including Jim Zorn. Always known for her generosity and compassion for others, Betty made sure family and friends were cared for. One longtime friend commented that you couldn’t gift anything to Betty without her finding something to give back to you. When you visited Betty, you could always expect that she would offer food or beverage and seldom took no for an answer. Some of the activities Betty enjoyed were her time spent with the Red Hat Ladies, the Weekenders and the ‘49ers. She also had a pinochle card group and played her last hand just days before she passed away. Walks, yard sales, watching old westerns, card and dice games, jigsaw puzzles, word games and activities on her ipad filled her time. She also had beautiful collections of depression glass, cobalt blue glassware and porcelain dolls. Her favorite movie was “Gone with the Wind” and favorite song was “Oh Danny Boy”. She had very strong opinions and beliefs and would often submit letters to the editor in the newspaper. Betty’s long work history includes the Capitol Theatre, Superior Asphalt, 3M Corporation and her last employer, Dowty Aerospace where she developed many friendships. Betty is survived by her sons, Michael (Jeannette), Steven and her daughter Connie Riggle (Gary) all of Yakima. She also is survived by eleven grandchildren; Leann, Matthew, Eric, Kristin, Jeff, Myriah, Jayelle, Jay, Teresa, Tyler, Casey, six great grandchildren; Tymen, Parker, Cameron, Carlee, Carsten, and Zoey, beloved sister Beverly Miller and numerous nieces and nephews. The family also recognizes her special friends Donna and Robbie. Betty was preceded in death by her husband Joe, parents and siblings; Norman, William, Vera, Lillian, Laura, Margaret and Alice. The family would like to thank the staff at the Cottage in the Meadow for their compassion, caring and support given at this most difficult time. A memorial service will be held at Valley Hills Funeral Home (Terrace Heights) on Saturday, April 14th at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow at A. C. Davis High School where Betty will one last time be a Pirate. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest donations in Betty’s memory be made to St. Jude Hospital, The Cottage in the Meadow or the donors charity of choice. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Betty Rohrich, please visit our flower store.