Betsy Bentley Christopher

1952 - 2016

Betsy (Bentley) Christopher RN, BSN, MSN Ed
Aug. 21, 1952 ~ Aug. 30, 2016
Beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, wife, mother, nurse, teacher and especially cherished friend Betsy passed from this life as the result of a (currently) incurable brain cancer. Born to Floyd and MaryLou Bentley in Aurora, Illinois, Betsy was a wonderful child. She graduated from West Aurora High School and attended Colorado State University. She transferred to The Evanston School of Nursing in Evanston, Illinois where and became a Registered Nurse. License in hand, she headed west to California in her big blue Chrysler Imperial and began work at the Long Beach VA Hospital. Eventually she moved to the San Diego area where she found employment in a variety of hospitals and nursing settings. Always striving for self improvement, she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the University of San Diego. She lived in Pacific Beach and her favorite town, La Jolla. In the early 80's she moved to Salt Lake City and worked at hospitals there, eventually specializing in Surgical Nursing. Once again feeling the allure of sunshine and beach sand she moved back to San Diego where she happened to go on a blind date. While the date didn't lead to much, she met her date's roommate, Chris, who was to become the love of her life. They spent the next 32 years together.
As a Navy wife, Betsy created warm, inviting, lovely homes in ten different cities and seven different states. She loved the adventure of going to new places. Industrious as ever, she worked in every town she lived. Along the way, she produced and raised two marvelous daughters. She earned advanced certifications in health and fitness, started her own business and was most proud of receiving her Master's Degree from Westminster College in Utah. She began teaching at SLCC in 2008 and absolutely loved her job as an Associate Professor of Nursing. Betsy made friends so easily; good , solid friends. If one could use but one word to portray her, that word would be: laughter! To know her was to be her friend. To be her friend was to laugh! Her sense of humor was wicked but never mean-spirited or at the expense of another. Betsy was the most considerate and genuine person one could ever hope to meet. One in a million. Betsy and Chris spent half their lives together; great years. Yet sadly, Betsy succumbed to the effects of the malignant tumor that had robbed her of so much in the last two years, she had turned just 64 a mere nine days before. A cruel and insidious disease, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is currently incurable. It can strike anyone. The cause is unknown. GBM is now the mostly deadly cancer for children. With this terrible disease there is no "battle", there is simply accommodation, adjustment to the steady indignities it inflicts and, endurance. Betsy endured as she had always lived; with optimism, grace, and courage.
She is survived by her mother MaryLou Bentley, husband John (Chris) Christopher, daughters Emily and Madeline, and an extended, loving family. She would appreciate a gift or donation in her name to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and/or Community Nursing Services Hospice of Salt Lake, good people who do their very best, often against very bad odds. There are promising new therapies within reach, they just didn't arrive in time for our darling Betsy.
A Farewell Gathering in her honor will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 15th at Wasatch Presbyterian Church, 1700 South and 1700 East.