Obituary of Betty Lou Hipp

Bette Lou (Pett) Hipp 

Bette Lou Pett Hipp, famous for her chicken pot pie, apple pie and hard work in the family business, died Aug. 24 in Payette, ID. She was 93. 

Bette was born in Pocatello, ID, one of eight children. Bette rode her horse to school in Arbon Valley, ID as a young girl, in the winter her father would hitch up the horses take them to school by sleigh.  The family relocated to the Parma area in 1940 where they had a farm, located on the Idaho side of the Snake River, grew sugar beets, hay, and wheat, and had milk cows. Bette was crowned “Queen of the Nyssa Night Rodeo” in Nyssa, OR, when she was 18. 

In 1951, she married the love of her life, Duke Hipp, a handsome war veteran and watchmaker. They raised their three children in Nyssa, hosting countless dinner parties in the tight-knit community. They owned Paulus Jewelry on Main Street for decades before retiring.  

“She was a good mom,” said her son, Bruce Hipp of Caldwell, ID. “She would go to bat for you if you needed it – even if you didn’t deserve it. She was always in your corner.”  

“I loved how she’d load me up in the car to go to McCall, or to track meets or for adventures to the Oregon Coast,” said her daughter, Julie Hipp of Dunedin, Fl. “What I really loved was how she’d cook for us. Any time we’d ask her to make a pineapple upside down cake or peach cobbler or anything else we wanted, it would be made that night. It would always be there, like magic. She ran the store, cooked dinner and then would make whatever we wanted. It was incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother.” 

“She was the hostess with the mostess,” said daughter-in-law Barbara Hipp of Caldwell. “They entertained all the time. She was the best mother-in-law you could ever have had. We were best friends and she was my champagne drinking buddy.” 

“One of my favorite memories of my mother is Thanksgiving,” said son Jeff Hipp, of Sherwood, OR.  “She was in her element, planning, cooking and serving an incredible dinner. Aunt Karen, Uncle Jimmy and the cousins were there, and we all watched football, ate delicious food and enjoyed everybody’s company.  It’s one of my favorite memories.” 

After she and Duke retired, they devoted themselves to following their granddaughter Cali Hipp to golf tournaments. 

“Mom loved seeing Cali win,” Bruce said.  

Duke died in 2018 and Bette carried on.  

“She would tell us all the time, ‘I want to go be with your dad.’ She really missed him,’” said Barbara, who coordinated and monitored Bette’s care until the end. 

Bette had five sisters and two brothers. The tight-knit sisters, dubbed “The Blister Sisters” by Duke, took legendary weekend getaways every year. 

“We did that during the last weekend in September for years and years and years,” said sister, Karen Sutton, the last living Blister Sister. “We’d be so excited, we could hardly wait to get on the road. We would hardly get out of the driveway before Bette or Wilma opened a bottle of champagne. The driver couldn’t drink. We were smart about that. We had the best time just being together.” 

“Now she’s with all of them. And Mom and Dad and Duke. Everybody. Grandma, Grandpa. So I know she is happy,” Sutton said. 

She is survived by sister Karen Sutton of Fruitland, ID, sons Bruce (Barbara) Hipp of Caldwell, ID, Jeffrey (Gale) Hipp of Sherwood, OR, daughter Julie Hipp of Dunedin, Fl, grandchildren Cali Hipp of Boise, ID, Miki (Jason) Bragg of Portland, OR, Mitchell (Saran) Hipp of Portland, OR, and two great-grandchildren. 

A private service will be held for family. 

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