03/12/2026
Elizabeth “Bette” Brookshire (nee. Kelly) was born the youngest child to the Kellys, a railroad family, and grew up in the small town of Manly, Iowa. She described her childhood as one of adventure and independence. Tap dancing, performing, proud of her Shirley Temple curls, and playing with her best friend, Billie Moore, occupied what she described as fun and carefree days. She attended the local Catholic elementary school, then graduated from Manly High School in 1948. Bette was fearless, buying her first car before she even knew how to drive. Being the youngest, she followed along on adventures to country dance ballrooms, visiting relatives in St Paul, often traveling alone on the train from an early age. While she grew up post-depression, the family was always well cared for and small-town life afforded her a lot of freedom. She and her older sister, Mary, were expected to help “keep house” and they learned how to sew, cook and run a home early on. Her brothers were protective, but Bette was already showing an independent streak, one that would be there for the rest of her life. She would tell stories about “the boys going off to war,” including her brothers Tim and S***k. The Kelly family was a close-knit clan.
When her father retired from the railroad the family moved to St Paul, her mother’s hometown. She was able to spend time with her large extended Needham family and kept in touch with her cousins and their families through the years. Being a young woman in St Paul after “The War” she told stories of USO dances in the St Paul Hotel, and the many parties downtown. Bette could sew a dress for a dance in the morning and would wear it that night. The family had their roots in St Paul, living on Dayton off Summit, and Bette would talk about walking home from work in high heels if she missed the streetcar, sometimes even through the snow. She was fearless and often ahead of her time.
Bette always enjoyed working, starting at small jobs like the movie theater in Manly, and later in various positions in St Paul and the metro. Some jobs lasted longer than others, as she wasn’t afraid of leaving if a vacation was planned or something more exciting was on the horizon. Rightfully proud of her work ethic, she was a bookkeeper for many years and that skill would serve her well when she moved to southern California in the late 60’s.
Following the death of her father, knowing she had been a good daughter to her mother and sister to her brother, Joe, she joined her sister, Mary and the Wyatt’s young family in California. She soon had her own apartment, which was always beautifully decorated. Bette was a fabulous seamstress and made many of her own clothes, painted, wallpapered and decorated, was a great cook and took great pride in all things creative. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do if she put her mind to it, and she did. She enjoyed all sorts of hobbies and was never bored, always having lots of projects and plans that kept her busy.
She was a fearless traveler, driving solo to California from Minnesota in her Ford Galaxy for the move to California, and many more trips all around the country followed, with or without company (one even included a seven-year-old Kelly!). She continued traveling either by train or driving to visit Minnesota relatives. She never enjoyed flying but she was the fun aunt who took kids to the beach when John “JT” was visiting. Bette drove all over southern California, and was always ready for an adventure. She would say she was never lost if she still had ½ a tank of gas.
While working as a bookkeeper at a nursing home in California, she met “Jim” Brookshire, a lovely man with a ready smile, big laugh and sparkling mischievous eyes. He said he wooed her by asking her, “Miss Kelly, may I bring you some tea?”, and he was persistent. They married in La Puente, California in 1971. Jimmy and Bette enjoyed their life together, traveling, spending time with his big Brookshire clan, entertaining, making their houses into homes together. Jim treated Bette like a queen and our family would always say that Jimmy was Bette’s “person”. Her bookkeeping skills led to property management, and before they retired they had a home in Bullhead City, Arizona that they escaped to whenever they could, visiting relatives, gambling, and enjoying the sunshine. Bette never learned to swim, but loved the water and the beach, as well as the desert sunshine.
Eventually, they both retired and after living a couple of years in San Diego County, they moved to a beautiful home in Kingman, Arizona. Jimmy understood that Bette was the “project manager” of all their decorating and entertaining, while he gladly took on all the domestic chores. It worked wonderfully for them and they enjoyed all their years together, living them as a tight team. There was a lot of laughter and joy in their home.
In 2003 Jimmy passed away suddenly and Bette was rudderless. She visited her nieces in their homes, trying to decide where this next move would take her. She moved to Marshall, Minnesota, in the summer of 2004, at the same time the Wyatt-Yerkas bought The Daily Grind. Scott and Kelly came, too, and Bette lived for over 20 years in her apartment in Marshall until her brief move to St Paul in the fall of 2025.,
Bette was a devoted Catholic all her life and would say she never missed paying her taxes or tithing. She would make sure that all her Marshall relatives participated in activities at Holy Redeemer, including enlisting their help with the Christmas Community Meal for several years. She volunteered at the Avera Thrift Store, and at funeral luncheons, as well as working the cash register at the fair, enjoying a hot beef commercial and a slice of pie. She made some good friends through her church involvement, and she was always one to keep in touch with old friends and relatives, going back many years in her life. She took classes at the Adult Community Center, learning how to use a computer, laptop, iPad and smart phone, and was never afraid of new technology. If she knew you well enough, you might have received sassy memes from her, sent via Facebook messenger. Bette was a lifelong Democrat and wasn’t afraid of a rousing political discussion, even into her final months.
She often helped in the early years of her family owning “The Grind” and would be enlisted to iron tablecloths, (she loved ironing!), wrap little smokies, decorate for a private party or event and was willing to be paid with thanks and a lemon poppyseed muffin, maybe a glass of Bailey’s and Coke, or a margarita and a chili relleno. She was everyone’s “Aunt Bette”, fun, a little cheeky and sassy, outspoken and ready for some fun and laughter. Holidays and birthdays were spent with her family and she enjoyed attending Tom’s school events. While her life in Marshall was busy, she always spoke about moving back to St Paul.
Bette had always been blessed with good health, until a cancer diagnosis on the heels of a winter fall left her feeling more fragile. In true Bette fashion, she went on hospice services, only to be phased out after almost 2 years. Her caregivers through Avera At-Home became trusted companions, especially Vicki Kack, who she said could organize anything, and “Saint” Barb Vanderwerf, always patient and kind. They provided so much more than we could ever thank them for, and the care she received allowed Bette to remain living independently in her apartment until fall of last year.
Always saying she wanted to move home to St Paul, Bette decided this past summer it was time for more care and we were able to find a wonderful place that checked off her boxes, Catholic and in St Paul. With her family’s help, she moved into an assisted living facility, Cerenity Marian, right by Mounds Park where she used to walk with her grandfather when she was a child. Her lovely apartment was filled with all the things she loved and looked like it could be her new home. Brighton Hospice became involved in her care, and all the staff she met took excellent care of our aunt. Her nephew John, his wife Kim, her grand-nephews and family were close by and able to visit her often, as well as her family in Marshall. Bette, however, had other plans in mind, and again showed us her independent nature – letting us know she wanted to “winter in Arizona.”
In October, Bette undertook her final adventure, driving cross-country with her husband’s relatives to relocate to Lake Havasu, Arizona. Her nieces Sandy and Cindy facilitated the move, and Bette was surrounded by the extended Brookshire family during her final days. She passed away on January 5th, 2026, at the Heritage Bridge Assisted Living Home, under the care of Compassus Hospice. A mass of Christian burial will be held at Our Lady of the Lake, in Lake Havasu, then she will make her final trip home to Minnesota. Bette will be interred with her husband Jimmy, surrounded by family in the old Calvary Cemetery in St Paul.
Mass of Christian Burial for Bette will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 16, 2026, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall. Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. with a Rosary at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. Inurnment will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, Bette preferred that you not support Trump, and please consider a donation to the Memorial Restoration Fund at Calvary Cemetery, 753 Front Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55103, as Bette would often pay for the maintenance as well as headstones for unmarked graves.
Bette is survived by her nephews and nieces: Scott Kelly, Scott Wyatt, Keith Goode, Roberta Wyatt (Edwin Yerka), John Kelly (Kim), Kelly Wyatt; grandnephews: Thomas Wyatt-Yerka (Olivia), Henry Kelly (Jordyn), and Oliver Kelly; her deceased husband's grand-nieces Cindy Cypher, and Sandy Barbosa and their family members. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband James "Jimmy" Allen Brookshire, parents John Thomas Kelly and Mary Agnes (nee. Needham) Kelly, all her siblings and their spouses: Mary Ella (Kelly) Wyatt (Robert), Thomas "Tim" Kelly, John "S***k" Kelly (Norma) and Joseph "Joe" Kelly. Bette was the last of her generation to pass away, with the death of her cousin Joseph Cunningham this past year.
