ELISABETH LIZETTA
(VANZANTE) CUMMINGS BRAUN
March 5, 1922 ~ July 11, 2018
Elisabeth Lizetta (VanZante) Cummings Braun, 96, best known locally as "Betty Cummings," passed away at Glenwood Place, Vancouver, WA, on July 11, 2018, after a short illness. She was born March 5, 1922, in Doon, IA, second child of Clarence Paul and Carmen Ormsby VanZante.
Her family moved to Chicago in 1933 where she met and married Marvin Smith Cummings after graduating from high school in 1940. They moved to Tulsa OK, then to Corpus Christi, TX where son Terry was born in 1943 and then back to Chicago where son Dennis was born in 1947. After Marvin headed West and found work in Vancouver, WA, Betty put their two young sons on a train and joined Marvin where they lived and both worked in the Vancouver School system for 25 years; and both boys graduated from Hudson's Bay High School.
After retiring, they traveled around the world for four months, and then spent a year traveling in a trailer around the US with another couple. And then they split their time between Vancouver and Scottsdale, AZ. Marvin passed away in 1996, and two years later, Betty married Stan Braun, and they traveled together between AZ and the Northwest. Stan Braun died in 2012, and a year later Betty again returned to Vancouver.
Betty had many hobbies, interests and pastimes. She was an excellent seamstress and hand-made many quilts for each child, grandchild and even foreign exchange students. She loved the outdoors and spent many days at their cabin at Government Mineral Springs; mushrooming, hiking, and cooking.
Betty's parents pre-deceased her along with her sister and two brothers, plus her 2 husbands.
Surviving Betty are her 2 sons: Terry Cummings (wife Joan) and grandson, Randy Cummings; and Dennis Cummings (wife Leah) and granddaughter, Jennifer Charles.
At Betty's request, there will be no funeral services.
Please sign her guest book at: www.columbian.com/obits.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
3 Entries
Hi Cummings Family, I was so sorry to hear about your Mom. she was the BEST and Friend. I saw her at the School Dist. Lunches. I will miss her. Love,Laraine Chmielewski Wunsch
July 24, 2018
Got to know Betty and her wicked sense of humor recently when she started to play duplicate bridge. She was a delightful woman who will be missed.
July 15, 2018
Growing up in the Click household, Marv and Betty were some of our favorites along with the Dungans and Caves. Into adulthood I got to participate in quilting and bridge with her. My Mom had a painting done of her Black Butte quilting retreat friends and Betty stood proudly with her stringed glasses on behind the ironing board in The Meadow. I loved her cackle laugh and being treated like a friend. I took her on a bike ride in her 70's down some big hills at BBR. Afterwords she said I probably shouldn't have done that. That just popped in my mind two days ago. I last got to visit with Betty a few years ago at Duck Tales with some Glenwood friends....she was a GEM!
Kelly Click Christel
July 15, 2018
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