Bette V. Bowerman

Bette lived a full life in her ninety-one years, right up until she died on April 27, 2017. She was a resident of Aurora, Colorado and was widely known as a homemaker extraordinaire who loved to cook and set beautiful holiday tables that wowed her family. She was also an outstanding seamstress whose creations rivaled clothing from the finest stores.

Her beloved poodles were part of the family. The first poodle thought she was human, and the second was a temperamental, blazing red-haired beauty who only liked Bette and Bette's best friend! Bette's favorite pastimes were playing board games and excelling at word puzzles. Even though she didn't have to win, she was exceptional at Scrabble. She also was a Rockies baseball fan who simultaneously listened to her favorite radio announcers while watching the muted TV and cheering her team.
Bette's main joy was loving and caring for her family of two daughters, Marcie and Nancy, her sons-in-law Duane and Chuck, two granddaughters Heather and Stephanie and her seven great grandchildren who lit up her life.

Bette was a courageous overcomer with a terrific sense of humor who made her many caregivers and doctors laugh. For instance, after surviving a drastic, emergency operation on her colon, from then on referred to her intestines as her "semi-colon!" In her last year, she wryly expressed, "We enter and exit this world in diapers! I guess I should be grateful to depend on Depends."

Bette honored family and friends by not judging them. Through her dogged determination, she inspired those dear to her to pursue their passions and give back to those they love.

On January 29, 1926, Bette Virginia Burkhart was born in Denver, Colorado to Francis "Franz" and Sophie Burkhart, also from Denver. Allen Eugene Bowerman and Bette married in a dual ceremony with Bette's brother, George "Bud" Burkhart and Gladys "Glady" Sanders Burkhart on October 5, 1943. Bette's husband, Allen, died on April 10, 1979, leaving Bette a resourceful widow for 38 years. A good organizer, Bette served as PTA President to stay involved and lend support to her daughters. In later years, she worked for AT&T as a long-distance operator winning special recognition for her professionalism.

She is survived by Marcia Lynne Bowerman, husband Duane Allen Percox; Nancy Gay Bowerman, husband Charles D. Robbins; grandchildren Heather Lynne Manfre, husband Gary Manfre and Stephanie Anne Bernsen, fiancé Jeremy Wilks; plus a lively, adorable group of seven great-grandchildren.

Celebration of Bette's life will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home, East Metro Chapel, 190 Potomac St., Aurora, CO 80011 on May 9, 2017. Services begin at 12:30pm, sharp. Burial service for the family follows at Ft. Logan National Cemetery at 2:30pm.

Special thanks go to Bette's private caregiver friends from Home Helpers Denver and medical staff from Suncrest Hospice and Clermont Park Skilled Nursing, Denver.

To share a memory of Bette or leave a special condolence message for her family, please visit the guestbook below.