Bettye Raschke (Neumeyer) 97, born March 22, 1928, to Edward and Edith Neumeyer in Houston, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at her home on Friday July 4, 2025.
Bettye lived her entire life in Houston, Spring Branch and Cypress. She graduated from Reagan High School in the Heights and went on to graduate from Texas Lutheran College in 1947 and Valparaiso in Indiana in 1949. After graduation she went to work for her father at Neumeyer Motor Parts.
She married Alfred George Raschke in 1949, who preceded her in death in 2015.
She leaves behind her children, Paul (Beverly), Alan (Lois), Mark (Elizabeth), Eric (Vicki), Karen (Peter)Yoder.
Seven grandchildren; Meredith (Ryan) Filip, Chris (Brittany) Raschke, Aaron (Shannon) Raschke, Megan (Jaime) Rios, Lauren (Cody) Bloyd, Nathan (Brandi), Philip.13 great grandchildren; Cason, Addison, Maisy, Payton, Haven, Kate, Jacob, Carter, Langston, Clara, Estelle, Trace, and Lilly.
Bettye was very active in the creation and support of multiple Lutheran congregations in the Houston area. She served in many roles including congregation president and Chairman of the candidacy committee for the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast synod of the ELCA. She loved to sing and was a member of the choir at TLC, Valpo and the churches she attended. During COVID, Bettye found up to 14 different church services online from Texas and several other states and continued to watch every week.
Bettye was the heart and soul of the family—the glue that held it all together. A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she cherished having the family gather for Sunday lunches or dinners, filling the home with love and laughter.
Her creativity was her ministry, sewing, crafting, and especially baking. Bettye’s potato rolls, cinnamon rolls, and communion bread were legendary. She had a sharp mind, a wonderful sense of humor, and a spirit that brought light into every room.
Her love for Galveston was legendary. She found peace and joy on the beach, often spending three-day weekends there with Karen, Pete, and Eric, simply watching the waves roll in and enjoying the ebb and flow of people drawn to the Gulf.
At home she loved to feed the neighborhood squirrels and birds and spent her time playing mahjong, crocheting, reading, writing her weekly newsletters for the family and solving the problems of the world. She stayed in contact with friends by calling as many as she could on a regular basis, just to check on them or wish them happy birthday. She had a wonderful gift and touched many people during her life. She was adored by all her family, set a great example and will be missed and remembered by everyone.
A celebration of life will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church,11522 Telge Cypress, TX 77429 at 10:30 on Friday July 18. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD, 21297-1061, https://give.lwr.org