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Baltimore, November 7, 2003 — Betty Lee Nyhus, former church executive, church women's leader and board member of Lutheran World Relief, died this week in Edina, Minnesota, after a period of illness. A memorial service will be held November 8 at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Serving on the LWR board from 1991-99, Nyhus was instrumental in broadening the participation of women in LWR's ministry. Her commitment in this regard spanned the globe - from being the voice of parish women's groups in the U.S., to mentoring women in new leadership roles at LWR, to becoming an advocate for women marginalized by their gender and by poverty in countries where LWR works overseas.
"Betty Lee was a major proponent of LWR's emphasis on gender equity, having traveled overseas and seen firsthand the discrimination faced by poor women and the tragic consequences of women's exclusion from family and community decision making," said LWR President Kathryn Wolford.
"She helped put LWR at the forefront among its peer organizations in efforts to integrate gender concerns into all aspects of organizational life and programs," Wolford said.
Until retirement Nyhus worked in the stewardship program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and, prior to that, was a leader in the women's organization of the former American Lutheran Church.
"She made change happen - few people were better at getting others involved and focused on the mission of the church," said Myrna Sheie, an ELCA church official and long-time colleague of Nyhus. "She had a sense for mission both in the broadest sense and right down to a woman in India weaving a scarf."
In tribute to Nyhus, the Women of the ELCA board recently purchased a memorial brick to place in the Good Samaritan Quilt Plaza at LWR headquarters. Funds raised in this way pay to ship humanitarian aid overseas through LWR's Project Comfort, a project Nyhus helped initiate.
At Nyhus's request, memorial gifts may be sent to Lutheran World Relief.