Leota Betty (Deal) Kusian

Leota Betty Kusian, 95, of Genoa, Ohio and formerly of Walbridge, Ohio, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

Betty was the first of 14 children born to Albert W. and Verna M. (Fahle) Deal on September 24, 1925 in South Toledo, Ohio. She was a proud graduate of Libbey High School and met monthly with her high school alumni for over 70 years. She loved sharing stories of her childhood----"you could watch them fill in the canal and make it into a big road called The (Anthony Wayne) Trail". She worked at a young age to help her parents provide for her siblings--her first job was serving ice cream at Dusty's in Walbridge where her parents had moved. Walbridge would become "her town". At age 19, Betty started office work at Libbey Owens Ford Glass Company, retiring after 36 years. Her beloved parents were both gone by age 37 and Betty continued to provide for and raise her youngest siblings still at home. It was Betty's turn at age 53 when she married Earl Kusian in 1978 and having retired in 1981, she and Earl enjoyed many vacations traveling. They were married 29 years before his death in 2007. Betty did not have children of her own, but in many ways was like a parent to her younger brothers and sisters and was grateful for her relationship with Earl's sons and their families. Her favorite times included both Deal and Kusian family gatherings, being with her Delta Sigma Phi Sorority sisters, activities at St. Mark Lutheran Church, volunteering at Lutheran Home of Toledo, selling Avon products and monthly lunches with her Libbey High School Alumni. She was an active Pythian Sister for over 70 years. Everyone is grateful for her young love of photography as many of the valued early family photos were taken by her. When asked what she was most proud of----she noted her independency, hard work ethic, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. She was very loyal to her many friends.

Betty was a survivor of both open-heart surgery and breast cancer and had participated for years in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. She left her beloved Walbridge home to move into Genoa Care Center in 2018.

In addition to her parents Albert and Verna Deal and husband Earl, Betty was preceded in death by her baby brother, James Frederick; sisters, Pauline F. (and husband Paul) Spencer, Ruth J. (and husband Hank) Jabs, Carol J. Fry, and brothers in laws, Marion Hicks and Carl Konieczny. Betty is survived by her siblings, Beverly Hicks, Jerry (Bonita) Deal, Richard (Marge) Deal, Ted (Carol) Deal, Sandy Konieczny, Doris (Larry) Lafferty, Paul (Nancy) Deal, Donald (Connie) Deal, Robert (Sue) Deal; brother in law, Ray Fry; step-sons, Gary Kusian and family, Bill (Rose) Kusian and family. "Aunt Betty" had special relationships and cherished her 33 nieces and nephews----never forgetting a birthday despite the number of them----including 72 great-nieces and nephews and 23 great-great nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends at the Eggleston Meinert & Pavley Funeral Home, Millbury Chapel, 1111 Woodville Road (east of I-280) on Monday, December 28, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Facial coverings and state mandated social distancing guidelines must be observed. Private funeral services will be livestreamed Tuesday, December 29, 2020 via St. Mark Lutheran Church Toledo Facebook page. Interment: Lake Township Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to St. Mark Lutheran Church or Hospice of Northwest Ohio.