Betty Gast

At the age of 100, Betty Gast of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was called home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on December 29, 2025, after a long and fruitful life. She was surrounded by her family, who loved and cherished her as the strong, warm, and resilient woman she was. Betty was the second daughter of Rolandis Shenk Ludwig and May Gerhart Mohler Ludwig, and younger sister to Dorothy Ludwig Heisey. She was married for 72 years to her high school sweetheart, William Earl Gast, Jr., until he passed in 2018. Though small in stature, Betty was a giant in terms of her faith. She never wavered in her belief or trust in God and felt His peace through thick and thin. Betty read and knew the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. She was a relentless prayer warrior and was happy to share her belief with anyone who was interested. Family meant everything to her. Growing up as a bit of a tomboy, Betty loved sports and was a great deep receiver and a superb catcher when playing family football and baseball. Her consistency with ping pong won many a family tournament. Anyone could hear her screaming loud encouragement at all the baseball, football, and wrestling events her three sons participated in over the years. Betty was also an avid motorcyclist—mostly as a passenger with her husband—and toured through the U.S. and Europe. At one point, she earned a motorcycle license and had her own Harley. Having skipped two grades, she graduated from McCaskey High School in 1941. She was an excellent writer and composed the cleverest, multi-verse poems. In later years, she became a Mac computer aficionado, creating and producing her memoirs, as well as a cookbook filled with favorite family recipes. Betty and husband Bill formed B&B Creations and produced numerous iMovies and personalized greeting cards to the delight of her family and friends. Betty was a big reader and re-read one of her favorites, Gone With The Wind, for the umpteenth time at the age of 99. She could still quote poems from A Child’s Garden Of Verses. A devoted partner to her husband, she helped Bill with his PTSD from WWII. He told her his story, which she translated to a speech that he gave to several hundred people at a WWII reenactment at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg. She attended several reunions of the 743RD Tank Battalion and spent time with numerous Holocaust survivors that Bill’s battalion helped to liberate. Betty and Bill were truly members of the Greatest Generation. Betty is survived by her three sons: William (Vivian), Bradley (Joanne), and Bruce; she was grandmother to: Jane (Greg), Victoria (Michael), Maxfield (Kathy), and Dillon; and great-grandmother to: Melody, Kendrick, Emerson, and Olivia. The Funeral Service and interment will be held at Conestoga Memorial Park, 95 2nd Lock Rd, Lancaster, PA, on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 12:00 noon, followed by a reception at Groffs Family Funeral Home, 528 West Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. All are welcome. Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the Harvest Bible Church in Lancaster.