After several months of suffering, Elizabeth J. (Bettye) Garber passed away on Thursday, May 10, at Glenwood Gardens in Bakersfield, CA. Born in Farmington, NM, on January 9, 1924, to Herbert and Elizabeth Gilchrist, she met her husband of 60 years, Richard (Dick) while they were students at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. They lived on Cross Street in Shafter for 45 years. The oldest of five daughters, she spent her childhood in Colorado, living between the Front Range and the "Western Slope." Her father's cattle buying took his girls to Durango, where they spent their summers, each one involved in the family business. Like generations before her, she lived in Greeley, CO, eventually graduating from Greeley High School where her uncle was the principal. The post-Depression years were hard ones for most people, and so it is remarkable that from a wellspring of affection and commitment her parents made it possible for each daughter to attend Geneva College, their own alma mater. When World War II came, and the young men went off to war, she watched Dick go to Italy, and she returned home to Colorado. When the war was over, he came to see her, they were engaged, and later were married in the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Greeley in September 1945. Graduate school was the setting for the next decade and more for the young couple. First the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, then Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and finally the University of California at Davis. Along the way they had three sons, Thomas in Fort Collins, Steven in Monte Vista, CO, and Douglas in Davis. Upon completion of her husband's PhD in plant pathology, they came to Shafter where they joined in the community of scientists at the USDA/University of California Cotton Research Station. And in the next year, their fourth son, James, was born. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, she gave the years of her life to her family. She was a kind and thoughtful friend, opening her heart to other women, and many times to their children, some who spent years in her care. A highlight of her life was accompanying her husband on a trip to Australia, where he had been asked to consult on the development of a cotton research program there. She faithfully supported him through their years together, as he did her. When he became increasingly frail, she selflessly cared for his every need over the course of four years until his death in June of 2006. When asked about his needs and hers, she would regularly say, with a quiet determination formed by a deep love, "It is hard, sometimes very hard, but I want to do this. I am glad to do this." She never really got over his loss. She loved pink roses, the grand skies of the West, a good cup of coffee, her family, and friends. Though her sisters now live far away from Colorado, they enjoyed years of friendship, sometimes seeing each other, more often keeping up over the phone. She took much pleasure in their companionship through life. She spent many years in Bible Study Fellowship, the Shafter Women's Club, and the Gideons, in each learning more about God, the world, and herself. Along the way, with her husband they joined in the community of the Mennonite Brethren Church in Shafter, impressed with "how they love each other, and us." Bettye has left a legacy of love, known by her children Tom, Doug and Tracy, and Jim and Jill of Bakersfield, and Steve and Meg of Burke, VA; her sisters Ann Lee of Cranberry Township, PA, Marian Brooks of Raleigh, NC, Agnes Carson of Tarpon Springs, FL, and Francis McCracken of Beaver Falls, PA; and her grandchildren who have all been cared for by her, from birth on, when with each one she gave them glad service: Eden of New Haven, CT, Rhett of San Francisco, Elliott of Boston, MA, Ross of Bakersfield, Thomas (T.J.) of Bakersfield, Elizabeth of Bakersfield, Jessica and Jonathan of Burke, VA, Leann of Arvada, CO, and Jay and Jacob of Bakersfield. Her maiden name was Gilchrist, a 700-year old Scottish name meaning "the servant of Christ." In her own simple, earnest, and yet clay-footed way, she was that for those who knew her. We do grieve, with tears-- and yet not without hope. Graveside services under the direction of Peters Funeral Home are scheduled for Monday, May 14, at the Shafter Cemetery at 9:30am. A memorial service will be held at the Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church at 11:00am on the same day. Please sign Bettye's guest book at www.goldenvalleymemorialcare.com.