Betty J. Detmers

Betty J. (Garbe) Detmers, age 97, of Wallingford, passed away June 2, 2026. Born in Detroit, MI on May 5, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Ernest Garbe, Sr. and Bessie (Green) Garbe. A resident of Hamden from 1961 to 2019, she was the wife of the late Bruce R. Detmers, Sr. Betty is also survived by her daughter, Holly Berlepsch of Northford; her sons, Bruce Detmers, Jr. and his wife Beth of Woodbridge and Kirby Erik Detmers and his wife Karen of Easthampton, MA; his grandchildren, Brian and Eric Berlepsch, Mollie Detmers, Jack Romano and his wife Kate, Jesse, Carly, and Jordan Detmers; and her great-grandsons, James and Luke Romano. Betty was predeceased by her youngest brother, Bruce Garbe, and son-in-law, Brian Berlepsch. Betty was the oldest of eight children and is survived by six; Ernest Jr., Robert, Nadine (Stephens), Ruth (Cate), Carol (Coulter), Ralph, and the late Bruce Garbe.

When Betty was a child living on Lake Huron in the Oscoda - Tawas City region of Michigan, she had fond memories of her and her father being friends with the local Native Americans. At a young age she was known to wander and needed to be brought home more than once. Her family depended very much on the land for survival like most people in the area. She had experience and was very knowledgeable about how to dress a deer, clean a fish, grow vegetables, babysit, and anything else that needed to be done, which was just about anything. As her brother Ernest Jr. said, “We didn’t have a lot, but we were never hungry.” Her family moved closer to Detroit for more stable work, where her father was an electrician for Chrysler Corporation. During high school and post graduate schooling, a few positions Betty held included being an elevator operator in downtown Detroit and a waitress at a Saunders Ice Cream Parlor.

Betty graduated from Fraser Michigan High School in 1948, where she met her husband of 71 years. In 1952 Betty and Bruce were married. While Bruce was in the Army stationed in the Corps of Engineers in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Betty worked as a telephone operator in Alexandria, where she gave birth to her daughter, Holly. Betty and Bruce returned to Michigan where she gave birth to her two sons; Bruce Jr. and Kirby Erik.

In 1961, Betty, Bruce and family moved to Hamden, CT due to Bruce’s employer (Eero Saarinen & Associates) relocation. Betty and Bruce transitioned well into the New England and New York City region. They had many close friends they met though Dunbar United Church, High Lane Club, League of Women Voters (Past President), children’s school and sporting events, Real Estate, etc. Betty loved hosting good parties, including getting the family together to celebrate Oktoberfest and Chinese New Year. She also relished reading and keeping up with current events, including skimming the Wall Street Journal daily. Their cottage in Vermont was also a very special place for family and friends.

Many adjectives have been used to describe Betty over the years. Some of these include adventurous, knowledgeable, open-minded, elegant, tough, loving, classy, grounded, welcoming, beautiful, and smart.

Betty’s interment will take place on Thursday, June 11th at 2:30 p.m. at Dunbar United Church of Christ. Friends are welcome to visit her family on Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden. A Prayer Service will begin at 5:45 p.m. Contributions in her memory may be made to Doctors without Borders, the Dunbar United Scholarship Fund, 767 Benham St., Hamden, CT 06514, or a charity of your choice. To send a condolence to her family, please see: www.beecherandbennett.com.