Bette Lee (Coppetti) Milam, loving wife, mother, and grandmother went home to be with Jesus on August 9, 2016, after a year-long battle with cancer. Bette was born on June 21, 1946, in Oakdale, CA. She lived there most of her young life. After graduating from Oakdale High School, Bette continued her education at San Francisco State and the University Of California in San Francisco, CA where she earned her degree in Cytotechnology. She married the love of her life, Howard Milam on February 5, 1967. They would have celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in the upcoming year. They had two beautiful children, Thomas and Jennifer. Howard’s job took them many places, but in 1998, after the children had grown, they moved to Seaside, OR. Fifteen years later they moved to Battle Ground, WA. Bette loved teaching piano lessons and attending to her many beautiful gardens. She is survived by her husband Howard, her son and daughter-in-law Thomas Milam and Sonya, her daughter and son-in-law Jennifer Lorenz and Robert, 11 grandchildren Tanner, Sierra, Savannah, Sophia, Henry, Thalia, Mosiah, Sadie, and Eva Milam, and Lillian and Carter Lorenz, her brother William Coppetti, Jr. and nephew Jon, her great-niece Grace, her Aunt Leone Wagner, her Step-Mother Annette Coppetti, and her faithful dog, Tabitha. She is preceded in death by her mother and father Lorraine (Stearns) Coppetti and William Coppetti, Sr. and grandmother Betsy Stearns and her nephew Jimmy Coppetti. Her life was inspired by her faith. She was loved and adored by her family and friends. A Celebration of Life Memorial will be held September 23, 2016, at the Simple Faith Calvary Chapel at 1 p.m. The address is 11815 NE 113th Street Suite 120, Vancouver, WA. Following the celebration of her life, family and friends will meet at the Louisville Park for a picnic at the temple area just past the tennis courts. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Community Hospice Care Center, 3102 NE 134th Street, Vancouver, WA 98686.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
Aug. 24, 2016