Betty D. Pickard

Betty (Garton) Pickard, an exceptional mother, (great) grandmother, and friend, passed away at home, surrounded by family, on November 12. She was born on a homestead outside Hereford, Colorado, near Wyoming, January 2, 1935. Her mother, Anna Mae (Kopsa) Garton, died four days later from blood poisoning that came from a burn on her arm, emptying ashes from the fire on Christmas Eve. Betty had pneumonia and the doctors gave her little chance of survival. She was taken in by her aunt and uncle, Wesley Ernest and Blanche (Kopsa) Duncan in Cheyenne. Non-drinking Ernest fed her whiskey, which she credited for saving her life and also became the excuse for an occasional margarita in her later years. The Duncan's raised her as one of their own. She had 3 older siblings here in Cheyenne, Don, Melvin, and Louise (Duncan) Oster, as well as an older brother, Eugene Garton, who had stayed with her birth father, Harold Garton, and moved to California after their mother died. She met up with Gene when she was a teen and they became very close over the years. All of her siblings are deceased.

She graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1953 and married her sweetheart, Clinton Pickard, who was in the US Air Force, in 1955. They had 3 kids: Ann, David, and Ellen (Alles). They lived in many places, including Hawaii as it became a state, Cape Canaveral when the early space flights were taking place, Japan when no one spoke English and the kids’ blond and red hair attracted great interest, and Edwards AFB when “The Right Stuff” was happening. Cheyenne was still home, so when Clinton retired from the Air Force, they returned in 1972. She worked awhile at Unicover until Clinton retired again. They bought a RV to escape the Wyoming winters and enjoyed their snow bird trips.

That time ended too soon when Clinton died suddenly in 2001. Her heart broke, and she soon had the first of two open heart surgeries. Her resilience remained, and she soon was traveling the world again with friends or to see her beloved grand kids, and eventually great grand kids. No matter where Ann went, Betty was up for a trip. She followed Ann (or more likely, the grand kids) to Europe, South America, Australia, and even Africa, where she rode her first helicopter into the Delta of Nigeria. She loved trips to Puerto Vallarta with friends, and especially enjoyed a recent Mexican cruise with Ann and Ellen so she could show off her favorite places. Her refrigerator is covered with magnets she collected wherever she went.

Betty unconditionally loved her grandchildren and they all reciprocated. Grandsons Daniel (Megan) and Derek live in Wenatchee, Washington, along with her only great grandchildren, Layla and Sawyer. Son, David, lives there too, with wife Doris, but we all know who she really went to visit! Grandsons Joel, Kevin, and Nicholas all reside in Colorado, as do daughter Ellen and Paul (Alles). She was a frequent driver on I-25 to see their school events as they grew up. She loved making crooked pancakes for them, decorating Easter eggs, and frosting dozens of Christmas cookies with them. After traveling the world, youngest grandson, Nathan Smith, and her only granddaughter, Rebecca Smith, settled in Coronado, California, with Ann and S-I-L (son in law) Dan (Smith). They loved to hear their G’ma play the piano. Rebecca says she’s the most beautiful G’ma in the world. Betty’s room in California overlooked the ocean; she enjoyed her winter escapes there.

But home was always Wyoming. Every time she returned to Cheyenne, she would be singing “Shy-Ann, Shy-Ann, hop on my pony.....”. She attended First Baptist Church her entire life; she and Clinton were married there, and she enjoyed singing in the choir. She loved camping and hiking, Vedauwoo, the Tetons, Devils Tower, Wyoming football, the wildflowers, especially Indian Paintbrush, the fall colors, and just about everything else, except the wind. Frontier Days would see her on the parade route (her Daddy played the banjo/fiddle on Daisy Bristol’s float), watching the Thunderbirds, enjoying the pancake breakfasts and everything else. She faithfully volunteered at the elections. Her favorite activity, when weather permitted, was to sit on the back porch, eating lunch, doing crossword puzzles, while soaking up the sun.

Her 80th birthday was held at The Plains Hotel and attended by friends from as far away as Brasil and The Netherlands and lots of relatives. She kept a scrupulous record of birthdays and always sent birthday cards. She even got on Facebook so she could keep up with family. She had wonderful neighbors, who helped keep an eye on her, enabling her to stay in her house until she passed. Synergy and Davis Hospice helped at the end.

Her broken heart is repaired as she is reunited in heaven with the love of her life, as well as the mother she never knew, the parents who raised her and her brothers and sister. She will be remembered for her kindness, her Christian faith and deep love for her family, and especially, her chocolate chip cookies.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the First Baptist Church or a charity of their choice.

Services will be at First Baptist Church on Monday November 19th at 10AM (reception following) with burial at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens. Online tributes can be sent to www.wrcfuneral.com .