Bettye Ruth Gamester

Bettye Ruth Gamester, surrounded by family, passed away on January 29th at age 87 after a long battle with cancer. She did not let cancer define her but threw herself into activities she felt were important. She is survived by her beloved husband, "Topper", of 51 years, daughter, Rebecca, sons, Tom and Steven and Grandchildren, Will and Bella, the pride and joy of her life. 

"Topper" and Bettye Ruth moved to the Lincoln City area in 1994, where Bettye Ruth began working at North Lincoln Hospital for the next 17 years. During this time she served as the employee representative in the Affiliation negotiations with Samaritan Health Services and also on the committee, "Better Healthcare for Lincoln County". After retirement she continued with her interest in healthcare by serving on the "North Lincoln Health District" and "North Lincoln Hospital Foundation" boards. 

Bettye Ruth attended Louisiana State University as an undergrad in finance and Tulane University for post grad. Upon completion she worked for the Avery/Dennison Corporation as a Financial Analyst in California. In 1977 she and Topper moved to Oregon to buy a feed store, but in 1982 returned to California, where she again worked for Avery/Dennison. In 1990 they moved to Big Bear, CA, a popular ski resort where Bettye Ruth was a realtor and the first year was "Rookie of the Year". Because she missed Oregon so much they moved back and that's where her passion for healthcare began. 

The times she enjoyed most were a rainy day with a good book, jazz in the background, and the aroma of chicken soup on the stove. The one other passion she enjoyed was a good game of trivia and challenged everyone to movie trivia. She will be missed by family and friends for her fun loving personality.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, March 12th, at 2pm at The Beach Club in Lincoln City.