Obituary: Betty Lou Elam McVey

Betty McVey was raised on a farm in Caldwell County, Missouri. She died at age 92 in the Juneau Pioneers’ Home on Aug. 30, 2025, a few days after a debilitating stroke.  

Born to James and Jessie Elam, Betty was the youngest of six children. Her siblings Catherine, Tom, Leona, Dorothy, and Billy Gene were much older than Betty.  Luckily for her sisters, Betty loved little kids: she babysat their children when she was just a child herself — and she continued to care for the children in her family throughout her life. 

Betty Lou Elam McVey

Betty’s family experienced tough times. Her father battled with alcoholism, which left its mark on the family.  Sadly, Betty lost both of her brothers, who were fighting in World War II, when she was still quite young.

Betty enjoyed her high school years at Lafayette High School in Saint Joseph, Missouri. There, she met Robert “Bob” McVey and they fell in love. Betty and Bob dated long distance while Bob attended the University of Missouri in Columbia and while he worked a seasonal fisheries job in Alaska. The couple married and Betty joined Bob in Columbia in 1953. 

Betty worked as a payroll clerk at the University of Missouri while Bob was in graduate school. She worked at this job until their daughter Luann was born in 1954. At this point, child care became her focus and the couple welcomed their second daughter, Jeanie, into the family in 1957.  

When Bob finished his Master’s degree, he applied for a permanent job in Juneau. Betty was eager for this change, as it was only a two-year job commitment and they could leave if Alaska weren’t to their liking. 

After an epic road trip, ending in an amphibious plane trip from Haines to Juneau, the family settled into an apartment in Douglas. As Bob said, “the die was cast for the McVey family to be permanent Alaskans.”

In Alaska, Betty relished homemaking and parenting her children. The family moved into a “beachside” home owned by the AJ Mining Company in the tiny neighborhood of Thane. Betty stitched all of the family’s clothing and household items on her Elna sewing machine. She encouraged the girls to play outside in their heavy duty rain gear, and they became Alaskans inside and out, all seasons. 

In 1963, the family traveled to Virginia for a few months for Bob to receive training offered by the federal government. They enjoyed the museums and historical sites of Washington, D.C., but they were glad to return to Southeast Alaska, where the kids could safely roam outdoors.

When Bob was offered a fisheries position with the American Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1965, the family first stopped off in Virginia for training. Betty learned, as Bob’s spouse, she was to be his overseas assistant.  She took Danish language classes and learned what the U.S. State Department expected of diplomats’ spouses abroad.  

In Virginia and Copenhagen, Betty extended herself in many ways, creating special memories her family could connect to later when they heard mention of the places they visited. So, in Denmark, the family attended concerts, and traveled by car and train throughout Northern Europe. They visited archaeological sites, churches, and museums.

After living in Denmark, the family returned to the D.C. area, as Bob was to become one of two Deputy Regional Directors for the Alaska region. So, in 1970,  the family moved back to Juneau once more, settling into a home near the airport. Betty started taking classes at the University of Alaska Juneau while her daughters attended high school. Betty enjoyed college as an “older student,” studying anthropology and archaeology with Wally Olson, whose hands-on field studies were especially interesting.

When Betty completed her Associate’s Degree she began work as a management analyst with the federal government. She worked for the US Department of Fish & Wildlife, the US Forest Service, and the Alaska Power Administration. She and Bob moved to a home on the water in Auke Bay, where they marveled at ever-changing views of the wetlands.

In 1987, Betty and Bob both retired and embraced a new life of relaxation. They enjoyed recreational boating, camping, fishing, and crabbing their way through the salt water near Juneau and across Lynn Canal to harbors and beaches they explored while the boat was at anchor.

The couple began a volunteer career when their grandchildren were born in the 1990s. Together, they cared for two granddaughters and one grandson through their preschool years. Those early bonds were important - as they say, “it takes a village to raise a child.” 

After exchanging their boat for a recreational vehicle, Betty and Bob enjoyed road trips up and down the West Coast of the United States. They loved visiting friends in Eugene and Brookings, Oregon. But they always said the best part of traveling was returning to their Auke Bay home.   

Betty and Bob remained in their home until health challenges became too difficult to manage on their own.  They moved to the Juneau Pioneers’ Home in 2020 where they lived together until Bob’s death in May of 2025.  

Heartbroken by the death of her sweetheart, in August 2025, Betty experienced a stroke. Dr. Dorothy Hernandez, Dr. Delana Eby, and Dr. Don Schneider cared for Betty at Bartlett Regional Hospital.  Betty returned to the Pioneers’ Home for end-of-life care by the Pioneer’s Home nurses and staff who called her “Mama” and treated her like a member of the family. Dr. Emily Kane also gave Betty companionship and comfort during this time. We are forever grateful for the kindness she received at the end of her journey.

Drawn to children, and they to her, Betty will always be our mama and we miss her so much. She was “Nana” to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is survived by daughters Jeanie McVey and Luann McVey (Richard Steele) of Juneau; grandchildren Liam McVey Macaulay of Boston, Massachusetts; Lydia Steele (Jake Ridle) and Laura Steele (Max Goldrich) of Juneau; great-grandchildren Lucy Goldrich, June Goldrich, Flynn Ridle, and Iris Ridle; and many nieces, nephews, and their families in Missouri and New York. 

At Betty’s request, no services will be held, but a memorial donation to the Juneau Pioneers’ Home would be welcomed.  Luann, Jeanie, and family can be reached at PO Box 210352, Auke Bay, Alaska, 99821. Luann, Jeanie, and family can be reached at PO Box 210352, Auke Bay, Alaska, 99821.