Charlotte Irene Badie

Charlotte Irene Badie, known fondly to her family as Aunt Cookie, was born in Denver, Colorado on March 24, 1922, to Edith Irene (Burgedorff) and James A Proctor. She was still telling jokes up until the night that she passed peacefully in her sleep, January 25, 2022, just two months shy of her 100th birthday. Charlotte was preceded in death by the love of her life, Leo Patrick Badie, her brother, Robert Proctor, his wife, Mary Lou Proctor, and her nephews, Michael Proctor and Kent Zobel. She is survived by her sister, Barbara DeSherlia, nieces Linda Zobel, Kim (Jim) Daniel, Pamela Wagner, Patty Lou (Jay) May, Tamera Graham, 10 great-nieces and nephews, and 22 great-great nieces and nephews. She was lovingly cared for by family during her last years of life.

Those who enjoyed any of her birthday celebrations, Sunday brunches at the DoubleTree or Hacienda del Sol, dinner parties hosted at her house, or meals at one of her favorite restaurants, knew Charlotte loved to spend time with friends and family amongst delicious food. She also had a huge heart for children, and though she never had any of her own, she volunteered at Casa de Los Nino’s for over 40 years. She met Sister Kathleen, its founder, when they were raising funds for the crisis nursery at garage sales in the 1970’s and was a cashier at the Casa thrift store three days a week until she was unable to drive there herself. She was awarded a "Ben's Bell” for her dedicated volunteering.

Charlotte was a devoted poodle parent throughout her life. Her first “little boy”, Andre, spent more than 20 years by her side. After him, she always had at least one poodle and “rescued” more than a few. She spoiled them perfectly, refusing to feed them “dog food” and rather, preparing them special meals of chicken, rice and vegetables. Kirby, her last poodle rescue, was her constant companion, sitting on her lap or at her feet and guarding her from anyone he didn’t recognize. He didn’t leave her side to the end.

Charlotte spent her early childhood living at her Grandpa George Burgedorff’s sawmill in Conifer, Colorado, where her mother was the cook for the lumberjacks. When her mother remarried, she and her younger brother, Bob, joined 8 stepbrothers and sisters living at Barr Lake, Colorado with “Dad Bruce.” Her sister, Barbara, the baby of the family, was born several years later. While there, she survived both undulant fever and a burst appendix (before antibiotics were commonly available). She spent several years in Long Beach, California, before she moved back to Denver where she ran a boarding house with her mother and worked as a bank teller. In the mid-1960s she moved to Tucson, purchasing and living in a trailer court off of Stone Avenue with her third husband. She began her practice of daily swimming laps in the pool, which she said contributed to her long healthy life. She also began her commitment to serving others, taking some of the less mobile widows in the trailer court on needed errands.

Charlotte always looked at the brightest side of any situation. When the trailer park was sold due to a divorce, she received half of the proceeds. It was Pat Badie, a real-estate investor, who bought the park. He swept her off her feet and they fell in love, getting married in Las Vegas in 1972. That meant she ended up with a wonderful new husband and one and a half trailer courts. She always said Pat was the love of her life, and they enjoyed life to the fullest. In their 19 years together, he spoiled her beyond her wildest dreams. They bought, improved, and sold four homes, purchased several businesses, from a photography shop to an auto shop, and traveled all over the globe. To get her to stop smoking, he bought her a brand new blue Corvette. She was absolutely the coolest aunt!

Aunt Cookie still had a valid driver’s license until her last days, although she stopped driving out of caution for others several years ago. She never turned down an offer of a ride with a friend to go shopping and get lunch. She loved finding “new outfits” and jewelry and always was dressed impeccably. Her style was her own, with lots of color and unusual prints, but always tailored with the perfect accessories. At 4’10”, when her nieces and great-nieces were children, they couldn’t wait until they were as tall as she was and able to try on her size 5 high heels. We hope that in her honor, attendees will wear bright colors to the service to celebrate her life!

She loved art and truly enjoyed visiting Ted DeGrazia at his Gallery of the Sun, and the Madaras Gallery to purchase colorful desert scenes which frequently decorated her walls. When she and Pat vacationed around the globe, she always found decorative pieces to bring home to add to her collections. She also had a soft spot for Denver Broncos memorabilia and red chili decor, but she enjoyed eating chilis even more. Her taste ran from spicy Mexican food to very spicy Indian curries. Even her shrimp cocktail sauce had to have a kick to it!

Charlotte’s life was filled with spice and adventure! Those who were lucky enough to share some of her life journeys and build beautiful memories with this legend of a woman will hold those memories close always and cherish her true zest for life.

A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held on Friday, March 4th at East Lawn Palms Mortuary in Tucson, Arizona at 1:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eastlawnpalmsmortuary.com for the Badie family.