Betty J. McKillip, 99, of Wabash, Indiana, passed peacefully on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Wellbrooke of Wabash. She was born on September 16, 1926, in Wabash, to Phillip and Emma (Stouffer) Roser.
Betty married the love of her life, Robert D. McKillip, on October 19, 1947, in Converse, Indiana. Their marriage was a partnership and they spent more than sixty years side by side until his passing in 2008.While she was a dedicated homemaker, Betty also worked for Farm Bureau Insurance and later with the Wabash County Treasurer and Auditor’s offices. No matter where she was, people knew they could count on her.At home, Betty’s hands were rarely still. She knitted, crocheted, and cross-stitched with a patience and care that made every piece feel like a gift. She loved a good book, and she poured her heart into the kitchen—cooking and baking not just to feed people, but to show them love. But nothing brought her more joy than her family. They were her pride and her delight.
She is survived by her sons, Michael D. (Debbie ) McKillip of Wabash, and Marvin (Darlene) McKillip of Milton, Florida; son-in-law, Ken Manns of Wabash; grandchildren, Michelle (Mitch) Snyder, Angie (Brian) Monahan, Nikki (Brian) Hoffman, Courtney (Michelle) McKillip, Ashlie (Jon) Noble, and Marcy (Pat) Rasche; great grandchildren, Jacob and Ben Snyder, Tristan and Callie Hoffman, Peter, James, and Ted Monahan, and Andrea Noble; and her sisters, Peggy Riggs of Converse, Indiana, Mary Reed, Marcella Houlihan, and Carolyn (Don) Everest, all of Wabash. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Robert D. McKillip; daughter, Mina D. Manns; brothers, Verne Roser, James Roser, Phillip “Dan” Roser, Jr., Don Roser, and Bobby Roser; and her sisters, Martha Shaffer, Katherine Clupper, Lois Fleshood, Phoebe Ridenour, Helen Hoppes, Shirley Atkinson, and Ardith Smith.
Funeral services will be 10:00 am, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Avenue, Wabash, with David Stokes officiating. Burial will be in Falls Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call 4-7 pm Tuesday, at the funeral home.
Preferred memorials are Bachelor Creek Church of Christ or Eleos Hospice of Fort Wayne.
The memorial guest book for Betty may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty J. McKillip, please visit our floral store.