Betty Bell (Bucher) Wright Hamlin

Betty Bell Wright Hamlin, 95, North Manchester, passed away on June 13, 2022 at Timbercrest Healthcare Center in North Manchester, Indiana. The daughter of John T. and Hattie E. (McIntire) Bucher, Betty was born in Wabash County on October 25, 1926.

Betty grew up on a farm in the Silver Lake area, near Disko. As a child she remembers doing plenty of farm chores with her two older brothers, Eugene and Daniel. She attended Laketon High School where she played clarinet in the band. After graduating from Laketon High School in 1944, she went on to take courses at Indiana Business College. For many years, Betty worked as a secretary at Eaton Controls in North Manchester until her retirement.

On June 6, 1948, Betty married Jack “Bill” Wright whom she met at the age of 21 while attending the Silver Creek Church of God in Akron. Bill passed away on November 21, 1974. Betty met and married her second husband, Donald W. Hamlin, in Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on September 4, 1976. Donald passed away on June 30, 1982.

Betty was fond of traveling and her favorite trips included Paris, France and Italy. She was an extremely skilled seamstress and basket weaver and was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Manchester. Active in the Lutheran Women’s groups, she also enjoyed making quilts and lap blankets. Betty was a member of the North Manchester Historical Society, Pony Creek Basket Guild, and the Business & Professional Women’s Club. She also served as a poll judge for the Wabash County Republican Election Board until the age of 89.

The loving memory of Betty Hamlin will be forever cherished by her nephews, Jerry (Jan) Bucher, William “Bill” (Jacki) Bucher, Larry (Chris) Bucher, David (Kristy) Bucher, and Ted (Tuesday) Bucher; nieces, Judy (Kent) French, and Jane (Tim) Denney, and many great nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, John T. and Hattie E. (McIntire) Bucher; husbands, Jack “Bill” Wright, and Donald W. Hamlin; brothers, Daniel M. Bucher, and Eugene F. Bucher; and nephews, Ken Bucher and John Bucher.

Family and friends may call Friday, June 17, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at McKee Mortuary, 1401 State Road 114 West, North Manchester, Indiana. Funeral services will begin at the conclusion of calling on June 17, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at McKee Mortuary. Pastor Laura Stone will officiate. Burial is at Oaklawn Cemetery, 600 Beckley Street, North Manchester, Indiana.

For those who wish to honor the memory of Betty Hamlin, memorial may be made to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 113 West Main Street, North Manchester, Indiana 46962.

The family of Betty Hamlin has entrusted McKee Mortuary with care and final arrangements.