Betty Robinette

Betty Lou (Wahl) Robinette, 82, died Sept. 16, 2022, at the McCone County Nursing Home in Circle.

She was born on the family farm seven miles northwest of Circle on Aug. 10, 1940. She was the fourth child of Robert and Mildred (Wheatley) Wahl. Siblings included Gary, William, Bonnie, Mary Ann and Neil. She grew up on the family farm and attended grade school about two miles away at the Pioneer School. She attended Circle High School, graduating as salutatorian in 1958. She then completed a oneyear business course at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. She returned to Circle and worked at McCone Electric Co-op as a billing clerk.

She married Stephen Bruce Robinette on Dec. 19, 1959. After their first child, Ricky, was born, she became a full-time stay-at-home mom. When their second child, Theresa, was three years old, Betty went back to work, taking a job with the McCone County Clerk of Court’s office. She eventually campaigned for and was elected McCone County Clerk of Court. She served the county for 30 years, retiring in 1997.

In the mid-1960s, Betty and Bruce leased a lot on Fort Peck Lake at Rock Creek and built a small cabin in which they spent most weekends and vacations during the summers. They later sold that cabin and purchased a larger, more comfortable one where they enjoyed fishing, tending their yard, spending time with family and friends, and relaxing.

In the early 1980s, they started buying older houses, refurbishing them and converting them to rental properties. They owned rentals in Circle and Glendive and were still managing these properties at the time of her death.

She is survived by her children, Ricky Robinette and Theresa Haynie; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.