Bethanne Paepke

Bethanne Paepke, age 54 of Macon, passed away on Friday, September 15, 2023. She was born May 2, 1969 in Battle Creek, a daughter of David Paul and Judith Elaine (Sealock) Crane. On August 11, 1994 at Camp Michi-Lu-Ca in Fairview, Mich., she married Frederick John Paepke and they have shared 29 years together.

Bethanne was an art teacher at Sutton Elementary in Tecumseh for 13 years. When she wasn’t teaching art she was creating art for friends and family. Bethanne had a quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. Her laughter is legendary. Bethanne’s knowledge of pop culture from the 60s to the 80s was vast and anybody that spent any time with her witnessed her uncanny ability to correlate an appropriate Loony Tunes cartoon with any given situation. Recently, Bethanne enjoyed volunteering as the curator of the Macon Grocery Tiny Art Gallery. Bethanne was an avid collector of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers, an ever present fashion accessory that complemented her collections of cat eye glasses and novelty T-shirts. Halloween was Bethanne’s favorite time of the year. She looked forward to decorating her home and creating Halloween-themed art every fall.

In addition to her husband, Fred, Bethanne is survived by her mother, Judy Crane of Battle Creek; siblings, Marianne (Bill) Wiescholek of Burlington, Nancy Kuhlman of Hastings and William (Pat) Crane of Strongsville, Ohio; several nieces, nephews and cousins; her fur babies, Sid, Lily, Scout, and Violet; and a close-knit Camp Michi-Lu-Ca staff community.  She was preceded in death by her father.