Janice Elizabeth "Betty" Krebs

Janice Elizabeth “Betty” Fuller Krebs

Janice Elizabeth Fuller Krebs—although you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who called her Janice—was known simply as Betty. She died peacefully on August 28, 2026, in Indianapolis.

Born March 22, 1941, in Shelbyville, Indiana, to Everett and Margaret (Treon) Fuller, Betty was the third of six children and the only girl, growing up surrounded by five brothers. Perhaps that explains both her lifelong love of sports and her ability to hold her own in just about any situation.

Betty graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1959, where she was a baton-twirling majorette. After graduation, she moved to Indianapolis and began a career that would span several very different chapters. After working at Major Hospital in Shelbyville, she spent 24 years at Thornton Haymond Medical Lab before beginning the part of her career for which generations of families would remember her best: serving as the beloved front-office secretary at Butler Preschool and later Sycamore School. She retired from Sycamore in 2012, although “retirement” never meant slowing down very much.

Betty met the love of her life, Jack Krebs, while they were students at Shelbyville High School. Their road to happily-ever-after wasn’t entirely direct. After a break, their families decided the two clearly belonged together and helped nudge them back in the right direction. Apparently, their families knew what they were doing.

Betty and Jack married on August 8, 1975. Their relationship ultimately spanned more than six decades—a life built around family, friends, sports, travel, and an extraordinary number of games played in gyms, stadiums, and arenas across the country.

To say Betty was a sports fan would be an understatement.

She loved Indiana University basketball and football and was there for the Hoosiers’ first Rose Bowl appearance in 1968. Butler athletics became an equally important part of Betty and Jack’s lives. If Butler was playing football, volleyball, men’s basketball, or women’s basketball, there was a very good chance Betty and Jack were there. Home games were only the beginning. They traveled with friends—and sometimes with the teams—to away games, tournaments, NCAA appearances, and countless other events. Some people plan vacations around beaches. Betty planned them around schedules.

Her adventures weren’t limited to sports. In 1974, Betty was named National Ms. Singleton, an honor that gave her opportunities to travel throughout the United States and overseas. It was one of many chapters in a life that was far more interesting than Betty was ever likely to make a fuss about.

Betty and Jack’s greatest investment, however, was always family.

They proudly supported their daughter, Courtney, in seemingly every endeavor, including helping to found Sycamore School. Years later, Betty and Courtney even spent more than eight years working together in Sycamore’s front office—a mother-daughter arrangement that surely produced enough stories for an obituary all its own.

When Courtney was dancing, Betty was there, too. She spent countless hours driving to lessons, rehearsals, and performances, usually with a camera nearby. Over the years she took hundreds—more accurately, probably thousands—of photographs and carefully assembled albums filled with practices, performances, and candid moments. Together, they became a photographic history of Courtney’s dancing years and a lasting example of one of the ways Betty loved best: by being there, paying attention, and remembering the details.

For years, Betty was also quite clear that she didn’t “do babies.”

Then her grandson, Jackson, was born.

The rule was promptly abandoned.

Betty loved being his Gamma. She treasured their time together, whether she was picking him up from school, spending an afternoon with him, or simply enjoying the privilege of watching him grow. Jackson occupied a place in Betty’s heart that made her previous policy on babies seem particularly negotiable.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Everett and Margaret Fuller; her brothers Jim, David, Tim, and Danny Fuller; her in-laws, Freeman and Millie Krebs; and her sister- and brother-in-law, Donna and Bill Dietz.

She is survived by Jack, her husband and partner in more than 60 years of adventures; her daughter and son-in-law, Courtney and Ian Henderson; her grandson, Jackson; her brother and sister-in-law, Reggie and Christine Fuller; and her aunt, Peggy Elsbury.

She also leaves behind countless nieces and nephews, cousins, dear friends, former coworkers, students, and families—and a remarkable number of people whose lives became connected to hers through Shelbyville, Butler, Indiana University, Sycamore School, and all the places in between.

Private graveside services will be observed by the family.

But a quiet goodbye alone wouldn’t be quite right for Betty.

Instead, family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Betty’s Life on Sunday, September 13, from 3-5 pm at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University.

In keeping with Betty’s spirit, please leave the formal mourning clothes at home and come wearing your Butler, IU, Shelbyville, or Sycamore best. Team colors, school gear, and good stories are encouraged.

Please RSVP and share your favorite stories, memories, and photographs of Betty here: Celebration of Betty’s Life- RSVP and Memories

Whether or not you are able to attend the celebration, the family would love to have your memories and photographs as they remember and celebrate Betty’s life.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those wishing to remember Betty to make a contribution to Butler University’s Bulldog Club in honor of Betty Krebs or to a charity of your choice.

Gifts to the Butler Bulldog Club in honor of Betty Krebs may be made online at https://give.butler.edu/give/481721#!/donation/checkout. Check the “in honor or memory of” box and select “Bulldog Club” from the drop-down menu.

Gifts by check should be made payable to Butler University, with “Bulldog Club/Betty Krebs” written in the memo line, and mailed to:

Butler AthleticsAttn: Bulldog Club510 W. 49th StreetIndianapolis, IN 46208

For additional information about making a gift, please contact the Bulldog Club at 317-940-6253 or bulldogclub@butler.edu.

Betty’s life was filled with the things she loved: family, friendships, schools that became communities, teams worth cheering for, places worth traveling to, and moments worth photographing.

While we grieve the loss of Betty from our lives, let us not be defined by tears, but instead remember the stories, the memories, and her bright, unforgettable smile.