Bonnie Joyce Bettine

Bonnie Joyce Bettine, 83, died Nov. 3, 2011, at her home on Rocky Lake in Big Lake.

A celebration of Bonnie’s life is at 2 p.m., Nov. 13 at the Elks Lodge on Finger Lake in Wasilla.

Bonnie was born in Gillette, Wyo., Dec. 1, 1927. She arrived in the town of Matanuska in 1932 at the age of 4 via the Alaska Steamship Co. and Alaska Railroad with her parents, Harold and Dorothy Moore, and her younger sister, Doris. The family homesteaded a mile outside of Palmer; Moore Road was named after them.

Bonnie was always proud of being a homesteader and carried many homesteading skills with her throughout her life. She graduated from Palmer High School in 1945 as valedictorian and attended business college in Southern California. In the late 1940s after World War II, she worked on military bases in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The stories and escapades she shared about herself and her best friend, Laura Stenberg, will always bring laughter to all who have heard them.

In 1949, Bonnie married Robert “Bob” Bettine. They lived in downtown Palmer until they retired to their Rocky Lake home in 1979. They were active in the Elks, and Bonnie played basketball for the “Town Team” sponsored by the Elks, enjoying an on-going rivalry with the Cordova Elks. Both Bob and Bonnie enjoyed many functions at the Palmer Elks Lodge. Her family remembers the glamour of the Elks Purple Bubble Ball and New Year’s Eve dances. Bob died in 1981.

Bonnie was active in Beta Sigma Phi and was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Palmer Auxiliary. She enjoyed camping, fishing and dancing as a family.

Bonnie had a long career as an accountant and retired three times. Her first retirement was from the Alaska Experiment Station after decades of service. Next, she retired from the Mat-Su Borough. In 1979, she joined her daughter, Cindy Bettine, in the ownership of ABC Travel Time, an agency serving Palmer and Wasilla.

Bonnie became an expert traveler, leading senior citizens on cruises and tours. She was an avid reader of mysteries and a passionate gardener, spending many hours working in her Rocky Lake yard, which produces an abundance of berries and flowers. She loved caring for her grandson, Owen. She was a great friend to the migratory water foul on the lake and enjoyed watching them until the last weeks of her life.

Bonnie’s daughter said her mother “was a role model for not only (her), but for many young women who worked with her or who knew her. Bonnie’s style, grace and intelligent advice have been appreciated by many.”

Survivors are Bonnie’s daughter, Cindy Bettine son-in-law, Mike Butcher, and grandson, Owen Butcher, all of Big Lake; and sister and brother-in-law, Karola Moore and Jim Anderson and their children, Jeff Anderson of Anchorage and Rachel Anderson Frazier of Brentwood, Calif. She also leaves her close friend and dance partner, Bill Morris of Anchorage.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Bettine; parents, Harold and Dorothy Moore; sister, Doris Marcais; brother, Roger Moore; and nieces, Christine and Annette Marcais.

The family suggests memorial donations be made to Alaska Family Service’s Dorothy Saxton Youth Shelter, 1825 S. Chugach St., Palmer, AK 99645.

Arrangements were by the Valley Funeral Home and Crematory.