She leaves behind her son Gordon and his wife, Deborah, and their three children, Denton, Dylan and Whitney Taylor. In addition, she also leaves behind the family of her close friend, Sally Whitmore, which includes Peter Prentice, Leanne Prentice and Chris Moneypenny, and their children Henry and Madeline; as well as her brother's family of Stewart and Marylou Bruce, and Lee and Marjorie McGriff; and her close friend Ann C. Wiss.
She was predeceased by her husband, Ted, daughter Cynthia, and best friend Sally, and her brother Bill.
She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and lived in several communities including Winnipeg, Canada, during her childhood. She met her husband, Ted through her mother prior to World War II. After the war, they were married and gave birth to their late daughter Cynthia and son Gordon. They raised their children in East Orange, Short Hills and Madison, New Jersey.
In 1977, they moved to Center Sandwich, following Ted's retirement. There, they moved into their retirement home. Ted passed away in 1986 following a long illness, however; Bette remained in their home until 2000. At which point she moved to Moultonborough and resided in a subdivision managed by the Taylor Retirement Community.
In 2006, she moved to the Taylor Community's Laconia campus where she lived until she passed.
Bette lived a full life, filled with adventures and happiness. In 1970, she and Ted went around the world. She loved the island of Bermuda and spent many idyllic summers there. She loved golf and when she was not playing, she was watching it on TV, up until her final breath. Bette loved driving so much, that she and her car were seemingly on the most watched list by the local authorities. She and Sally received fame by her now famous "Thelma and Louise get away". She enjoyed telling stories, for which she had an uncanny ability to spin a story and captivate her audience(s) with the right blend of humor and drama.
Her family wishes to thank Comfort Keepers and the Taylor Community for helping her during the last years of her life together with Chris Moneypenny and Leanne Prentice, and their children Madeline and Henry, for their lifelong friendship with Bette.