Betsy G. Mahowald

Betsy Gerads Mahowald passed away in her sleep early Saturday morning, July 19, 2025 at home in St. Cloud, MN one week after she began hospice care. Her illness was the result of B cell lymphoma in her brain from February of 2021. Her husband, children and several of her sisters were with her during her last week of life. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 am on Wednesday, July 30 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud. Rev. LeRoy Scheierl and Rev. Jeremy Ploof will concelebrate. Burial will be at St. John’s Abbey Cemetery in Collegeville, MN. Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm on Tuesday, July 29 at Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud and one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Betsy was born on May 16, 1953 at St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls to Paul Frank Gerads and Cecilia Irene (Scepaniak) Gerads, the 4th of 8 children. Her birth name was Bertha Irene Gerads but she was always called “Betsy” so she eventually made the legal change. She graduated from Upsala High School in 1971, Mankato State College (BA, 1975) and from the U of Minnesota (MA, 1982).

She was well-loved wherever she worked or volunteered; her first professional job was at Wilder Forest, near Marine-on-St. Croix, MN (part of Wilder Foundation) as education program director for 15 years. She married Martin Mahowald on April 18, 1986 at the Church of St. Mark in St. Paul, MN; they had 3 children, moving to St. Cloud in 1994 when her husband joined Mahowald Insurance Agency. Betsy soon met Dr. Les Green at a conference and he hired her to help him create the Teachers of Color program in the Office of Cultural Diversity at the College of Education at St. Cloud State University, recruiting and helping students who aspired to become teachers in Minnesota’s ethnically evolving population. Her resourcefulness helped students overcome barriers and to find scholarship money to achieve their goals. She worked at SCSU for nearly 20 years.

In 1993 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; she and Paulette Como founded an MS support group in St. Cloud and Betsy also served as an area coordinator, assisting other MS support groups.

She and Marty hosted many foreign exchange students for entire school years, which was an enriching experience for them and their children. She and Marty were the “American parents” to many and even attended three weddings of former student guests in Colombia, South America. Betsy had an ever-ready smile, accepted people from anywhere, based on their character. She truly made the world a better, more peaceful, caring place by her example.

Betsy served on advisory at the Women’s Fund at Central Minnesota Community Foundation and on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations most recently on the Upper Midwest Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, later as emerita member of the board. She was a eucharistic minister and member of the Church of St. Paul. She loved any outdoor activity including XC skiing, canoeing, hiking and traveling, especially to Europe, Colombia and to Kenya.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers/sister-in-law, Robert J. Mahowald (of South Dakota), Richard Perlinger, Dennis Sand, Greg Clark, and Nancy Gerads.

Betsy is survived by her husband Marty, her daughter Maria Mahowald (fiancé Kevin Riley) of Bloomington, MN, sons Andrew (fiancée Meghan Foley) of Minneapolis and Joseph Coady Mahowald of Austin, TX. She is survived by siblings Arlene Perlinger, Swanville, MN, Jim Gerads, St. Francis, MN, Al (Bev) Gerads, Rice, MN, Joan Sand (Albany), Helen Gerro, Punta Gorda, FL, Kathy Head, Punta Gorda and Trisha (Jeff) Johnson, Avon. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and many dear friends.

Betsy would have been the world’s most doting grandmother. She left the world a better place. She would want you all to encourage a young person and to be kind and generous to those in need. God bless all who have visited, befriended and loved Betsy through her illness.

Memorials can be sent to Quiet Oaks Hospice or to the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls.