Betty Jean “BJ” Anderson Stroup (Hendrickson) passed away on May 1, 2022 at King Bruwaert House in Burr Ridge, Illinois, with her family by her side. At 99 years of age, there is, perhaps, no one who lived every day so cheerfully as Betty Jean. She was a sister, a wife, a mother, a faithful friend and an adoring grandmother.

Born April 28, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois to Robert T. and Linda Louise Hendrickson (Frentzel), Betty Jean grew up alongside her older brother, Bill, at 7314 Indiana Avenue.

A young girl forging towards the future, Betty Jean was surrounded by a steady example of hard work as she watched her father and grandfather run and grow the Hendrickson Manufacturing Company. She was enveloped in a family, who prioritized and valued education. A modern woman of her time, Betty Jean attended Calumet High School and went on to graduate from DePauw University, where she met her late husband William Stuart Anderson. She majored in Home Economics and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.

After a telegram proposal during World War II, Betty Jean and Ensign William Stuart Anderson married in 1944, living in San Diego briefly and returning to the Chicago area after the war. Together, they established roots in Hinsdale, Illinois where they raised four children. Betty Jean relished her role as a mother and loved raising her sons and daughter on a neighborhood block filled with children. As a mother, she was known for being unwaveringly positive, loving, and fair-handed. She was accepting and recognized each one of her children for their individual characteristics. Recounting tales of her journey as a mother and sharing stories of her children was something she deeply cherished, seeing motherhood as a privilege.

Beyond her role as a dedicated mother, Betty Jean never was one for being sedentary. Throughout her life, she immersed herself in philanthropic activities – a 66 year member of Grace Episcopal Church, where she actively participated in Altar Guild, and she had more than 2000 volunteer hours at Hinsdale Hospital and Sanitarium. Additionally, her membership and participation to the PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization) and the Tri Delta Alumnae group were very near and dear to her heart.

She enjoyed traveling with her husband and close friends, satisfying her endless sense of wanderlust. Betty Jean relished nothing more than to have everyone over to her home on Hickory Street in Hinsdale for holiday meals. Never one to miss a party, Betty Jean was present at many of her grandchildren’s graduations and wedding celebrations.

After being widowed, Betty Jean later married the Reverend Dudley J. Stroup.They enjoyed 12 years of companionship and travel, splitting their time between their hometowns of Hinsdale, IL. and Tryon, NC.

While many see old age as an excuse to do less, Berry Jean thought otherwise. She continued to enrich her life, soaking up every opportunity in her retirement community – attending concerts and operas in the city, seeing art exhibits and Broadway shows, joining and performing in The Adorable’s Dance Group, and meeting new neighbors. Her exuberance and love for truly living life well were effervescent.

Betty Jean is preceded in death by her first husband William S. Anderson and survived by her children Steven (Kathryn Hammell)
Anderson, Gregg (Deborah) Anderson, Linda (Phillip) Edmiston and William (Kathleen) Anderson, eleven grandchildren, twenty-one greatgrandchildren and two great great grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her brother William F. Hendrickson and his wife, Mary Louise Hendrickson. Betty Jean was proceeded in death by her second husband the Reverend Dudley J. Stroup and his daughter Mary (Stroup) Wolters and survived by his daughter Janet (Stroup) Fox.

A memorial service will be held in celebration of her life on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, located at 4370 Woodland Ave, Western Springs, Illinois. In remembrance of Betty Jean, memorial contributions can be made to Hinsdale Community Services Food Pantry, 19 E. Chicago Ave., Hinsdale, Illinois.