Elizabeth Anne Wing

Elizabeth “Betty” Wing passed away on July 14, 2024.

Betty was a bright spot in the life of everyone who met her. Once she knew you, you were a friend for life. She was generous and kind. A caretaker and a giver. She loved to shop and finding a good deal was always the goal. She liked nice things but more than that, she liked giving them away. You never left her house empty handed.

Betty was born in Des Moines on New Year’s Day, 1948, the fifth of George and Barbara (Day) Cordaro’s eight children. Although she lived in many places during her lifetime, she always considered herself a Southsider. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1966.

As a single mother raising three children, Betty was a hard worker. No job was too tough for her, and she eventually found herself working in a body shop alongside “the guys”. She was eventually promoted to manager. One day at work, the girl in the overalls met the love of her life, Ken Wing, who was smitten. Betty eventually replaced her overalls with dresses when she went to work for Principal Financial Group, but she and Ken shared a lifetime interest in cars as was evident by the fact they changed cars so often you never knew what to expect when they pulled into the driveway.

Ken and Betty were always on the go; literally and figuratively. They loved to travel whether it was cruises or car trips. It was always hard to know where to send them a Christmas card because they moved with regularity from one house to the next because they enjoyed fixing up a home and then moving onto another project. They eventually found their dream home on the North Shore of Clear Lake. They loved to entertain and there was rarely a weekend where they didn’t have guests. More than anything else, Betty loved spending time with their large, blended family. Summer with their kids, grandkids and extended family is what she lived for and time at the lake house is a source of cherished memories for family and friends.

In their later years they began wintering in Florida. Betty and Ken loved the sun and warm weather and eventually they made Florida their permanent home. As much as she loved the sunshine, she loved her family more and in September of 2023 they moved back home to be near her loved ones and friends. In retrospect, Betty must have known it was time to come “home” so she and Ken could have more quality time with family and friends before they both had to leave us.

Betty is survived by her children: Bruce (Carol) Jones, Brian (Rabecca) Jones, Staci Jones, Lisa (Jim) Quilty, Rebecca (Eric) Heikes; grandchildren Joe, Jayce, Mick, Lauren, Reece, Blake (Nicole), Katlyn (Derek), Alexandra, Isabella, Dessa, Sophia, Sullivan, Tiger; and great grandchildren: Amelia, Cooper, Wesley; brothers: John (Chere), Jim (Kathy), Joe (Cindy); sisters: Mary Frederick, Connie (Joe) Clinton and Christine Cordaro. She is also survived by many, many nieces and nephews. Betty has gone to be with her husband of 33 years, Ken Wing, her parents, her mother and father-in-law, Otis and Lois Wing, son Gregg Wing and her niece Heather Hamilton who preceded her in death.

There will be a Celebration of Lives for Betty and Ken at Hamilton’s Southtown on Sunday, August 11th, 2024, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Iowa in honor of Betty and Ken.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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