Betty Pierce

On August 3, 2025, Betty Jean Pierce, age 84, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family. Betty was born the youngest of six children on July 20, 1941, in Watsonville, California. As a young girl growing up, she was outgoing, bubbly, and loved being with her friends. She overcame the challenge of having had polio at the age of two, and never let anything slow her down! Her teen years included fun with friends at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, beach adventures, and caring for her many beloved nieces and nephews.

At the age of 17, she met and married the love of her life, Teddy (Paul) Pierce. Through the years their family grew, as they welcomed their three children into their lives. In the summer of 1969, Betty, Ted, and their children moved from San Jose, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she lived out the rest of her life. Betty and Ted were married for 57 years.

Betty was employed as a technician at Fairchild Semiconductor Company, GTE Lenkurt, and she retired in 2000 from Sandia National Labs, where she worked in the satellite division.

Alongside her husband Ted, Betty participated in numerous outdoor adventures, including camping, boating, fishing, and hunting. They loved nothing more than memorable RV road trips and fishing from their boat on Heron Lake in northern New Mexico. In addition, Betty and Ted were active members of the Duke City Rodders for many years. In her most recent years, Betty rarely missed an opportunity to join her friends for water aerobics, eating out, and card games, where she demonstrated her skill and her competitive streak!

Betty welcomed the opportunity to step in and help, wherever she could. She was known for lovingly hosting overnight stays for traveling extended family members and whipping up her amazingly delicious potato salad and pies she made from the apricots grown in her yard. Betty also enjoyed sewing clothing and costumes for her children and her granddaughters. She was deeply loved by her children and her many nieces and nephews. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Even so, we know that love transcends death and we will see her again in heaven.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Ted Pierce; her mother, Erma Tobeck; and her grandson, Cody Benjamin Erven.

She is survived by her children, Lori Erven and husband Dusty, of Albuquerque; Larry Pierce and wife Katie, of Arvada, Colorado; and Lezlie Foster, of Grand Junction, Colorado; her grandchildren, Chelsea Winter and husband, Brian, of Albuquerque; Cierra Maddox and husband Camren, of Valdosta, Georgia; and her great grandson, Beau Griswold, of Albuquerque. Betty is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, as well as her best furry friend, Charlie, who never left her side.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude for the kind and compassionate people who cared for Betty in her final days, including Dr. Daniel Nazon, Dr. Julie Harrigan, Dr. Lisa Stolarczyk, Compassus Hospice nurses Becky and Alejandro, and the entire ICU care team at Lovelace Women's Hospital.

Cremation has taken place and Betty's desire was for her ashes to be scattered, along with her best friend and loving husband's ashes, at a later date in Chama, New Mexico.

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