Bettye Marie Denman

Bettye Marie Fisher Denman, was born April 12, 1936 on Easter Sunday in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Herman and Myrtle Fisher. She lived in Scottsbluff until she was seven years old. She then moved to the Yakima Valley in 1943 with her parents, brothers, sisters, and other relatives.

Bettye attended Moxee School District through the 2nd grade, and then moved to Yakima. She attended Yakima schools through the 10th grade until her parents could no longer afford to send her to school. Bettye met Ivan, a neighbor, at 13 years old at a bus stop. Two years later they were married, he 19 years old, she 15. They soon moved to Seattle where they had their first son, Don. After having lived there for two years, they moved back to Yakima, where Bettye started working at Del Monte.

Though Bettye was 17 and married, Del Monte still required her to have a parental work permit signed, allowing her to work for them. She had three more children, Larry, Ron and Mike. The daylight hours, Bettye cleaned houses in town and at night she worked at the cannery.

In the late ‘60s and ‘70s she added lawn service, janitorial service and raising four boys to her routine, while continuing to clean houses and work nights at the cannery. Every moment was for her boys. All four graduated high school.

In the late ‘70s Bettye bought a concession stand, handling auctions, Christmas trees, farms, Layman’s Market and Yakima County Fair Food Service.

In 1979 Bettye started Ron’s Tacos and Burgers, where she worked day and night until she bought a ceramics business in 1986. Bazaars and arts and crafts shows with the ceramics became her passion for 14 years.

On August 8, 2000, just as Bettye got off work, a stroke hit, ending her career in the restaurant and the occupations that were her passion in craft shows, leaving her paralyzed. Even with physical therapy day in and day out, and a will power unmatched, the stroke was too massive. Her mobility would not return.

Bettye is preceded in death by her husband Ivan, her parents, Herman and Myrtle Fisher, her brother, Bill Fisher, and her sisters, Pat Rathjen and Bev Tatum. She is survived by her brother, Dick Fisher, and her sons, Don, Larry, Ron and Mike. She had six grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.

Viewing will be held at Keith & Keith Funeral Home on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7 from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Rainier Memorial Center, 2807 Terrace Heights Rd., Yakima on Monday, May 8, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Concluding services and burial will follow at Terrace Heights Memorial Park.

To celebrate the life of Bettye and share a memory visit www.keithandkeith.com.