- Date Of Birth: November 9, 1929
- Date Of Death: April 28, 2016
- State: Florida
Bette M. Bertsch, 86, died Thursday April 28, 2016, after a long battle with ALS and diabetes. She attended high school in Norwich, N.Y., where she met her husband who was serving in the military and did not return from the war. Bette and her two daughters moved to Binghamton, N.Y. where she was employed by Link Co. making training simulators for airline pilots, and later for the astronauts. In 1967 she transferred to Kennedy Space Center to work in the Flight Crew Training building where the astronauts trained. When the Apollo Program ended she moved to Tampa, where she worked for a community newspaper as a reporter and attended Hillsborough community College. When the space program picked up, she returned to work for Planning research and later EG&G where she met and married Lloyd Bertsch. In 1990 they retired, bought an RV and traveled to all 49 continuous states, Nova Scotia and Canada. In 1996 they spent three weeks in Hawaii. She enjoyed gardening, needle-work, sewing and traveling.
She is preceded by her husband Lloyd Bertsch, daughter Barbara Lee and step-son Micheal Bertsch. She is survived by daughter Linda O’Dell, four grandchildren; Cindi Grenet (Mack), Breck Opeka (Chevon), Sean O’Dell (Magan) and Kerry LaMaster. Great-great grandchildren Brandi Pharr, Amber Lockhart (Randy), Skyler and Jade Opeka; Cody, Tommy, Drew and Abagail Grace O’Dell; Hayden and Matthew LaMaster; and two Great-great grandchildren Londyn Lockhart and Baby Strazi. She is also survived by one sister Lucy Conant (Robert) of Norwich N.Y and sister-in law and brother-in-law George and Virginia Wallin of Salt Lake City Utah and many nieces and nephews.
