Gloria Betancourt

Whether we live far beyond expectancy or die long before, it is not the amount of time we live that matters. What matters is the life that we lived in the time that we had. In the time she was given, the impact that Gloria Betancourt had on the lives of the people around her was immeasurable. She made the most of the time she was given, devoting everything she had to being a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

By the 1950s Corpus Christi, Texas was a bustling port city on the Gulf of Mexico that had its hand in just about every pocket of business and industry, from oil to agriculture. As the downtown grew and the city sprawled, places on the outskirts flourished as well. Alfredo and Albezo Campos, were living just west of Corpus Christi in the quaint village of Robstown and in the 1950s, just like everything around them, their family was growing as well. On the very first day of January in 1955, they proudly welcomed the newest addition to their family, a daughter named Gloria.

Before Gloria was even old enough to remember living in her birthplace, she and her family moved north to Alma, Michigan, where her dad had found work. At a very young age Gloria was introduced to the man she was destined to marry. His name was Juan Betancourt and, just as the two of them met, he was preparing to go into the armed services. Gloria waited for Juan, and when he returned to Michigan, they resumed their relationship and married in 1973.

Following their nuptials, the newlyweds wasted little time before starting a family. Over the next several years they welcomed four beautiful children including, Sonia, Guadalupe, Juan, and Leticia. In 1975, the couple decided to move their young family to Holland, Michigan, where Gloria took a job as a rural carrier for the Holland Post Office. Years later, in 2004, she retired from the post office after a long and successful career. She was also a faithful member of St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church.

Having grown up in a large family, with many brothers and sisters, and being a mother to four children of her own, Gloria knew the importance of family. Later in life, she was blessed with four wonderful grandchildren and discovered the joy that comes from being a grandmother. Now with her passing, Gloria's family can find comfort in each other and joy in their memories.

Gloria Betancourt, age 51, of Holland died on Thursday, September 28, 2006, at her home. Surviving are her husband of 33 years, Juan; Children, Sonia Betancourt, of Holland, Guadalupe Betancourt (and fiance' Travis Adams), of Kansas, Juan M. Betancourt III, of Kansas, and Leticia Ann Betancourt, of Holland; 4 Grandchildren, Ambrosio Betancourt, Maria Rosalinda Betancourt, Alma Gloria Betancourt, and Antonio Ray Adams. She is also survived by her parents, Alfredo and Albezo Campos, of Holland; Brother and Sisters, Roberto Campos, of Lansing, Rolando and Christine Campos, of Holland, Clofas and Myrt Campos, of Holland, Frances and Richard Bos, of Hamilton, Margarita Campos and Jose, of Holland, Amalia and John Hicks, of Fennville; Brothers and Sisters-in-law, Jose A. and Maria Betancourt, of Texas, Jesse and Gumecinda Betancourt, of Merrill, MI, Maria de Refugio and Joe Gallagher of Florida, Raul and Amelia Betancourt, of Saginaw, Ramon and Maria Betancourt, of Wheeler, MI, Maria de Rosario and Richard Brown, of Breckenridge, Jose A. and Judy Betancourt, of California, Tomas and Maureen Betancourt of Saginaw, and Dora Celia and Robert Casillas, of Texas. She is survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins as well.

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, 10:00 AM, at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church. Officiating will be Fr. Fred Hoesli. Burial will be in Restlawn Memorial Gardens. Visitation is scheduled for Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM, at the Mulder Chapel, Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, 188 W. 32nd Street. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association. For more information and an on-line registry, please visit Gloria's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com.