Betty Mae Nielsen (June 20, 1929-October 11, 2020) passed away in Burlington on Sunday, October 11, 2020. She graduated from Burlington-Edison High School and received her Batchelor of Fine Arts from Washington State University; she remained a lifelong staunch Cougar fan. She spent several years working and traveling in Europe. She married in Basel, Switzerland and then returned home to raise her daughter.  She went back to school to complete a teaching degree and loved to engage young minds. She was passionate about books and writing and shared this passion with all her students during her long teaching career.

After retiring from the Stanwood School District, she became a Master Gardener and spent many hours in her own garden as well as sharing her knowledge of plants with her family. She was also an avid bird watcher and loved photography. She was a keen reader and more recently, she began studying Norwegian and German again.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Adolph and Johanna Nielsen, and her brothers Lloyd Nielsen and Carl Nielsen.

She is survived by her daughter Lisa Nielsen, and grandchildren Madeleine, Olivia and Jacob.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland or Skagit Audubon.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 1:30pm at Greenhills Cemetery in Burlington.