Obituary:

Betty Sanders Calme (nee Busic), 83, of Delhi Township, formerly of Miami Heights, died on July 12 at Shawneespring of Harrison, OH.

She was a homemaker.

She was the beloved wife of the late Robert W. Sanders & Paul H. Calme, the devoted mother of Robert A. Sanders (Shannon) & Vickie S. Paulin (Don), the loving grandmother of Brian (Monica), Kimberly (Brian) & Melissa (Gregory) & gr. grandmother of Brooke, JP, Roman, Mina, Alex, Rachel & Graham, the dear sister of the late Stanley (Carol), Edward, Robert & Richard Busic & the stepmother of Maureen Bill, Paul Calme Jr., Mary Giesting & Joyce Sprague. She is also survived by many step grandchildren & step great grandchildren.

Visitation Sun.,, July 15, 1:30 PM until time of service at 3:30 PM at the North Bend United Methodist Church, 123 Symmes (PO Box 98), North Bend, OH 45052. Interment Mon., July 16, 11:30 AM at Pleasant Cemetery, Mt. Sterling, OH. Memorials, if so desired, to the North Bend United Methodist Church or Hospice of Cincinnati. Dennis George Funeral Home, Cleves, OH serving the family


Rob Sanders' eulogy for his Mom; 15 July 2012:

When I came into church (North Bend UMC) for worship this morning, I was happy to see red Pentecost altar cloths and banners. The green liturgical season is much too long. Many congregations like to squeeze it a bit by extending the time they display Pentecost red.
The red banners of Pentecost recall the birth of the Church, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. I welcome the Holy Spirit any time; and I'm happy He's here to escort Mom home to the arms of the Lord.

On my birthday, Mom always liked to tell the story of what she and Dad were doing the night before I was born. Dad was a 19 year old returning Navy veteran from WWII, and a freshman at THE Ohio State University. He was studying for spring finals, and they were reading together John Brown's Body, the epic Civil War poem by Stephen Vincent Benet.

They must have been so engrossed in the poem they failed to notice the signs that it was time to leave for the hospital. I almost made it. I was born in Grampa Busic's car in the parking lot of Doctors' Hospital in Columbus. Mom was 18. I don't know what was distracting them three and a half years later, but (my sister) Vickie was born in an ambulance that was nearly out of gas, on the railroad tracks just outside the country hamlet of Quincy, in Logan County, OH, headed for the hospital in the equally obscure town of Sidney.

Mom was born 1 Oct 1928 in Genoa Twp., Delaware Co., Ohio. Her parents Stanley and Ruth Busic had moved to the vicinity of Westerville, Ohio from Pickaway Co. with older brothers Ed, Bob, and Dick. Mom and younger brother Stan grew up in the house at 171 N. West St., where my cousins and I cherished the trees, the screen porch, the big round dining room table, and Grampa and Gramma's love.

Betty Ruth Busic was baptized Presbyterian at age 12, perhaps upon Confirmation. She was baptized at an age at which she understood a profession of faith. The Presbyterians took that stuff seriously. Uncle Ed was an elder.

The hymn we sang a few moments ago, In the Garden, was Mom's, and Gramma's, favorite. When I was growing up we had three or four LP record albums of songs of faith we liked to play during Sunday dinner; one was a Perry Como record, and I can still hear him singing it, every time I see the words:

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.
And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.

Sometimes I think that last line is so selfish. But the thing is, God is able to make every one of us feel like we're the only one; He loves each of us that much! It's like grandparents. Many of us grow up thinking we were their favorite, but several of our cousins have the same feeling.

Betty was a good student at Emerson School (Vine St.), where I went to kindergarten and 1st grade, and at Westerville High. She never went to college. But she was proud of her membership in OSU Dames. That's probably politically incorrect, not to mention impolite, these days, but she was proud of being a part of the Ohio State students' wives group. She was Buckeye through and through. I know in later years with Paul she cheered for Notre Dame, too – I forgive her.

We moved to Cleves, OH in 1953 – Dad taught at Taylor High School – we attended this church (North Bend UMC) and continued to do so for several years after moving to Cheviot a year later. Eventually, Vickie wanted to go to Sunday School with her Cheviot School friends, so we changed our membership to Cheviot EUB. We're all Methodist now, but until 1968 this church and Zion and Cheviot were all EUB.

Mom and Dad led the Cheviot EUB Youth Fellowship. All the kids called them "Mom and Dad." They were much younger than everyone else's parents.

Dad died in 1991. His memorial service was held right here.

Paul Calme was a blessing in Mom's life – they danced, traveled, enjoyed family, as Mom and Dad did - our closest friendships were always in the family.

Dad's students became part of our extended family. We were very involved in all extra-curricular activities at Dad's schools. But despite Mom and Dad's heavy involvement with school, PTA, Cub Scouts, Campfire Girls, etc. Vickie and I were never neglected. We did all these things together.

I once gave Mom a birthday or mothers' day card with a gold ribbon folded inside. I had written a hokey adolescent poem and said something about Sun's son - I'd never really be out of sight or out of mind.

My pastor asked me what was the one thing about Mom:

She and dad were active in the lives of many other children, but Vickie and I were always a part of it - it was all family activity; and when we went to church, which was every Sunday we weren't ill (and we had church at home when we couldn't go), they didn't send us – they took us; and shared God's love with us there.