Betty Wilde, 94, left the mortal coil after a long, slow decline. Her children surrounded her in her final days. She was born and raised in New York City, but first came to Los Alamos in 1949 as a newlywed when her first husband was a graduate student working at the Lab that summer. At that time she was married to Robert Thorn, and after he completed his education in Cambridge, they returned to Los Alamos, and she had been a resident of New Mexico for many years. She and Robert had four children together: daughters Karen, Kyle, and Gretchen, and one son, Robert (Nick), Jr. Following her divorce from Robert, she lived briefly in California, but returned to New Mexico in 1973 when she married Ken Wilde, the owner of the boat shop just south of Pojoaque on the Santa Fe highway. For many years they worked the boat shop together and closed for the winter when they would travel to San Carlos, Mexico, and spend time deep sea fishing from their boat.

Following Ken’s death in 2001, Betty spent a few years in Arizona with her companion, William Meyer of Santa Fe and was warmly embraced by his loving family. When he died in 2008, she moved back to Los Alamos and remained there until her death.

She is survived by her four children, the spouses of Kyle and Gretchen, the children of Karen and Gretchen, and numerous grandchildren and numerous friends who loved her like another mother or grandmother. She is also survived by her only sister, Mary Griffith, of Midland, Texas. She received wonderful care over recent years from her family, the staff at LAMCC, her caregivers, and the team from AmberCare Hospice. 

No services are planned at this time.