Bette Kay Defrancesco

Bette Kay DeFrancesco was called to celebrate Christmas with Jesus on December 10th, 2016. She was born February 27, 1944 in Stambaugh, Michigan. She was the oldest of 4 children. In 1948, her family re-located to Idaho and settled in Weippe. Her life was always centered on mothering and taking care of family. She looked after her two younger brothers all through her early years and in her teens her sister was added. Kay was a member of the last class to graduate from Weippe High School in 1963. She then attended college in Butte, MT where she was also a nanny for a local family. She eventually came to live in McCall, ID where she met her future husband, Dale DeFrancesco. They married in 1969 just after Christmas. Through all her life Kay had struggled with different health issues. Her greatest wish was to be a mother. When her doctors gave her the go ahead to have children, she was blessed with Mary in 1975 and Danielle followed 19 months later in 1977. She loved being a mother. Kay was also the town mother. From the beginning she took care of the children when mothers had to return to work. Some even delayed returning to work until she was available. Others would bring their kids to Kay because she was the only one who could get them to eat. She still receives graduation, wedding, and birth announcements from all her kiddos. Kay made sure her two daughters had everything they could possibly want, even when at times it meant sacrificing something she may have needed. She was at every game, play, concert, and event her girls were participating in. After seeing her girls married and settled, she returned to college to earn her degree. She started out commuting from McCall to Boise several times a week. After getting her basics, she found a program in Library Science in Spokane and relocated to Coeur d'Alene, ID in 2000. She graduated in 2003 with honors. Kay became a grandmother in 2000 with her first grandson, Thomas. She took care of him while Mary and Joe worked, just as she did all those years ago for her McCall kids. In 2009, her second grandson Adam was born followed in 2010 by Duncan, grandson number three. She loved being a grandmother to her three boys. Kay blessed everyone who she came in contact with. She always had a kind word, a bit of advice or simply a hug. The only friends she didn’t have are people she had not yet met. Her family was blessed to have her. She was a lifelong member of Beta Sigma Phi. After moving to Rathdrum, she joined the Lions Club and was also their Regional Diabetes Chairman. She organized health fairs and no matter what wanted to help just one more person. Kay was preceded in death by her parents, Betty (Apel) and Jack Mathews and her sister Gail Ann. She is survived by her daughter, Mary (Joe) Conrad and their sons Thomas and Adam, her daughter Danielle (Aaron) Tinsley and their son Duncan, and her brothers, John (Sunny) Mathews and Dan (Shirley) Mathews. A celebration mass will be held on January 7th, 2017 at St. Pius Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene at 11:00 AM. A lunch will follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Diabetes Association or Camp Stix in her honor as she was a champion for diabetes education.