Betty Ann Hugunin

Betty Ann (Brunk) Hugunin, 79, of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed peacefully at her home on October 7, 2026, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. A celebration of Betty’s life will be held at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. A visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Iles Jordan Creek Chapel in West Des Moines on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Betty will be interred in Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Born February 1, 1947, in Sheldon, Iowa, to Paul Frederick and Ruth Charlotte (Brower) Brunk, Betty grew up on the family’s small dairy and crop farm near Fulda, Minnesota with three older siblings, Connie, Rich, and Linda. It was on that farm that she learned the strong work ethic by working with her dad and Rich outside while the other girls had the house under control. That strong work ethic, along with a silly sense of humor, stayed with her for her whole life.

Betty played the drums in concert band, twirled the baton for the marching band, sang in mixed chorus and Girl’s Glee Club. She also participated in Future Homemakers of America, participated in Junior and Senior class plays, and played softball in the church league. Somewhere in between, she learned to water ski behind a boat with five other girls. She graduated from Fulda High School in 1965, dreaming of being a teacher. The friendships she made in Fulda were lasting ones; she treasured her class reunions for the rest of her life and she stayed connected with many of her classmates throughout the decades.

After certifying at the Medical Institute of Minnesota in 1966, Betty began a 22-year career as a medical laboratory technician, working primarily at Boone County Hospital and Mary Greeley Hospital.

She married Russell Hanson in November of 1967. Together they welcomed their daughter, Holly Jo, in 1968, and their son, Joseph, in 1971. After their divorce, Betty devoted herself to building a life for her children, balancing work, education, and the challenges of single parenthood. Russell passed away in 1992.

Throughout those years and beyond, Betty loved her children fiercely, even in the years when balancing work, school, and life demanded more of her than anyone could give. Holly Jo and Joseph grew up with a mother whose determination and resilience shaped their lives and whose humor and curiosity filled their home even during challenging seasons. Her relationship with her children was one of growth, forgiveness, and deepening love over the decades, and she took great pride in the adults they became.

The dream of teaching never left her, and in mid-life she set out to make it real. She earned her Biology Education degree from DMACC in 1986, her Family and Consumer Sciences Education degree from Iowa State University in 1992, and her Master of Secondary Education from Viterbo University in 1997.

In January 1993, Betty began the second career that would become her calling. She taught Family and Consumer Sciences and Health Occupations in Central Iowa schools, including Boone, Baxter, Marshalltown, Mason City, Carlisle, and finally Waukee, retiring in 2015. As the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) advisor for the Carlisle School District, she poured herself into mentoring young people, helping them find their voices and their footing. Generations of students are better for having known her.

In the mid90s, she found love again with Mike Hugunin, marrying in 1997, joining her two children with his three sons and weaving together a blended family that grew with each new grandchild. Being a grandmother became one of the greatest joys of Betty’s life. She spent countless hours playing games with them, everything from Go Fish to backgammon and loved camping and pontooning on warm summer days. She danced with them at weddings and live music events, laughed with them around the table, and poured her heart into helping raise each grandchild. Just this summer, she received a special volunteer award from Cystic Fibrosis’ Charlie’s Angels in honor of her granddaughter Charlie, a recognition that meant the world to her. All of her grandchildren were a source of deep pride and delight, and she loved them dearly.

Outside the classroom, Betty’s life was rich and full. She loved hiking and camping, quilting, playing cards and games with friends and family, and decorating a home that felt warm to everyone who walked in. Her gardens, especially her flowers, bloomed with the same care she gave to the people in her life. After retiring, her days grew even fuller as she traveled, deepened friendships, embraced new hobbies, and savored precious time with her grandchildren. For many years during retirement, she and Mike spent winters in Arizona, especially near Mesa, where they visited friends and family and enjoyed the desert sunshine. Betty cherished her card clubs where laughter and friendly competition were always guaranteed. She was a lifelong learner who never stopped asking questions. As her life slowed down in the last few months of her life, she became a voracious reader. She especially loved historical fiction.

Betty was always on the move. After leaving the family farm, Betty moved homes several times over the years, first with her children and then with Mike. In every place they landed, Betty had a gift for putting down roots and gathering people in. Friendships came easily to her thanks to her warm heart and delightful sense of humor. This was especially evident at Mike and Betty’s in the West Des Moines neighborhood where they most recently made their home, where neighbors became dear friends bringing meals, sending cards and letters, sitting and visiting, and surrounding them with the kind of steady love that says you are not in this alone.

Her faith was the quiet center of everything. Betty took deep joy in studying Jesus through Lutheran Church of Hope and many other resources. She was active in her Life Group and cherished the fellowship of her Salt Sisters and God’s Girls, where she found friendship, accountability, and spiritual growth. She volunteered many times at Meals from the Heartland and served with mission teams both close to home and far from it, living out her belief in helping others with compassion and humility.

Betty is survived by her husband, Mike Hugunin; her daughter, Holly Jo Hanson Link (Jeff); her son, Joseph R. Hanson; her stepsons, Tim Hugunin (Jenny), Ted Hugunin (Jane), Travis Hugunin (Jill), Tena Nelson Edlin (Andrew), and Matt Nelson; her grandchildren, Owen Hanson Howells, Xiomara Hanson, Aiyana Hanson, Alexandra Hugunin, Charlotte Hugunin, Carter Hugunin, Cameron Hugunin, Elizabeth Hugunin, Abigale Hugunin, Carter Link, Graham Link, and Phoebe Link; her sister, Linda Stewart (Raymond); many nieces and nephews, her beloved “grand-dogs;” and a wide circle of friends, neighbors, and church family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Ruth Brunk; her first husband, Russell Hanson; her sister, Coleen K. Knorr; her brother, Richard P. Brunk; her sister-in-law, Kathi Brunk; and her brothers-in-law, Gus Knorr and Gaylord Nelson, and a nephew, Jeffrey C. Nelson.

The family extends their deepest thanks to Betty’s hospice team for the gentle and loving care given in her final months; to the music therapist (and neighbor!) whose songs brightened her days, her nurses, nurse’s aides, massage therapist! – and to the family, friends, and neighbors who carried Mike and Betty, and the whole family, through this season with meals, cards, and quiet acts of love.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Betty’s name may be directed to the following: St. Croix Hospice, Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund, Lutheran Church of Hope Women’s Ministries, or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Iowa.

Iles Jordan Creek Chapel is managing arrangements.

Online condolences can be made at Ilescares.com.