Elizabeth "Bette" Marie Gardner

She was the youngest of four children, with two older brothers, Sam and Rocky, and an older sister, Sylvia. She grew up in Steger on a block filled with aunts, uncles, and cousins, and she made lifelong friends with Flora, Joanie, and Chickie. As girls, they rode bikes, played softball, and drank sodas at the soda fountain. Later they raised their young families together, laughed through countless family celebrations, and eventually traveled together in retirement.

Bette graduated from Bloom Township High School and worked as a clerk at the local grocery store. She met her husband, Melvin “Mel” Gardner, in high school, and they married in the Chicago snow on February 15, 1958. After the birth of their first daughter, Beth Ann, the couple moved to Houghton, Michigan, so Mel could attend Michigan Tech. There Bette was active in the wives’ club, traded babysitting with other student families, and worked evenings to help support their growing family. Their second and third daughters, Joan Louise and Lynn Marie, were born in Michigan. After Mel graduated, the family returned to Chicago Heights, where their youngest daughter, Jill Allyn, was born. Shortly after, Mel accepted a job with IBM, and the family moved to Kentucky.

Six years later, IBM offered a transfer to Colorado. Bette pushed for the move. Her brother Sam and his family lived there, as her sister once had. Although Colorado was farther from family in Illinois, she believed it would bring greater opportunities for her daughters and her husband. As usual, she was right, and the family settled in Niwot in 1974.

Bette devoted many years to raising her four daughters and running the household. She urged them to get involved at school, then showed up for (and drove them to!) every activity and event, and later attended many of her grandchildren’s sporting and school events, too. Most of all, she taught her daughters and her grandchildren to be independent and strong, with family always at the center.

At 40, she went to nursing school, became an LPN, and worked for several years as a cardiac rehab nurse. She later moved into bookkeeping and worked for Niwot Real Estate until she retired at 63. When she retired, she and Mel built a new house in Loveland, Colorado, where they lived until 2025.

Bette was always active, and a bit competitive. She played softball as a teenager, then bowled and played volleyball as an adult. Every summer of camping at the family lake was punctuated by Bette waterskiing one lap around the lake, which she did well into her 70s. She cheered for the Broncos and Rockies, but she was a loyal, lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. She also took up golf with enthusiasm and even played in Ireland with Mel. Together they traveled to other destinations as well, including Italy, France, and Hawaii. She loved socializing with friends, playing bridge, Friday nights at the Moose Lodge, gambling in Black Hawk, and seeing Broadway musicals and plays in Denver. Her other great love was her black 1992 Dodge Stealth sports car, which she drove for nearly 30 years.

Bette was beloved for bringing the family together and keeping its holiday traditions alive. Christmas was always spectacular, with cookie baking, big Italian dinners, and gift giving, especially her famous “all alike” gifts for everyone. The gatherings grew as the family grew. Bette embraced four sons-in-law, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, and she made sure no birthday or holiday was ever forgotten.

Bette was preceded in death by her husband, Mel; her parents; her brothers, Sam and Rocky; and her sister, Sylvia; her nephews John and Mark, and great-nephew Bryan. She is survived by her four daughters, Beth (Darrell), Joan (Jack), Lynn (Mike), and Jill (Matt); eight grandchildren, Zach (Caitlin), Sam (Jenny), Emily (Seth), Weston, Scott (Markie), Hannah, Theo, and Anthony; six great-grandchildren, Maggie, Rocky, Sonny, Evelyn, Rose, and Archer; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will celebrate Bette’s life with a private gathering and interment at Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins. No public service is planned. She will live on in the hearts of all who loved her.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bette’s memory to Macular Degeneration Research, a program of BrightFocus Foundation (brightfocus.org/macular).