Betty Adams

Our beloved Aunt Betty Adams (the Aunt became part of her name), passed away on May 3, 2026 in Pocatello, Idaho after a brief illness. She was born in Paul, Idaho on May 29, 1932 and would have been 94 on her next birthday.

She said she never had the privilege of being a mother, but she was a great stepmom to the four children of her husband Melvin Adams: Edward, Shelley, Debbie, and Carla (deceased). She married Mel in Las Vegas in 1971. She managed a travel agency there for several years. This role gave her opportunities to travel, including a visit to Paris, a city she fell in love with and visited multiple times later.

They later moved from Las Vegas to Winnemucca where she managed a physician office. Following Mel’s death in 2003, Betty moved to Pocatello to be near her brother Paul Bennett and sister Mary Bunce. They were the three surviving children of Blanch Niles and George William Bennett. Paul and Mary both predeceased Betty, as did brothers George, Sam, and Robert.

Betty developed a treasured group of friends in Pocatello, mainly through New Knowledge Adventures. She called them “the old gals,” and after 20 years of participation in everything from snow shoeing to line dancing to season symphony attendance, they became just that. Many of the group have passed on now, but several are scattered among Pocatello’s senior housing options and manage to still gather for their monthly birthday luncheons.

She loved spending time with her family but disliked photographic evidence of the events, concerned that it served as proof of her aging. Betty once announced after being sent family photos that it was a terrible shock to find that she was now doing all those annoying little things that she really disliked in older people, like slouching.

Betty liked to read and to write, including spirited letters to the editor of her local paper, and gave fascinating history lessons to interested relatives. She told stories about some difficult childhood years, and the amazing revelation of indoor plumbing, but she never considered herself deprived in any way. She took pride in keeping a garden with lots of tomatoes and herbs and tried to take a walk every day that she could. She felt very lucky to have a loving family, where nearly every virtue and vice was well represented. When asked what she liked best and least about her life she said, “what I like most is that I can do as I damn well please; what I like least is when people tell me what I’m doing isn’t right”.

She is missed by a large group of cherished friends, nieces and nephews and special dogs to whom she would sneak forbidden human food. No public services are planned, but raise a toast of white wine, a cup of strong coffee, or a fine chocolate in her honor.

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