Elizabeth "Betty" (Cope) Brunette

Elizabeth “Betty” C. Brunette died peacefully in her home on April 11, 2022. She was born in 1934 and raised in New York City and Montrose NY. At age 15, she went to the University of Chicago. She then received her PhD in psychology from Harvard University. She married Andre Paul Brunette in 1957. They moved west, had four children in five years, and moved to Pendleton in 1973. She and Paul designed and built a beautiful house in the Blue Mountains where they lived for the next 45 years. 

Betty had multiple positions as an administrator of mental health services, including working for the state of Oregon for many years. She developed and ran several private, nonprofit behavioral health organizations in Pendleton, including a program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders and their children. Through her work, she helped many people in need.

Betty enjoyed nature, appreciated the outdoors, and embraced country living. With family and friends, she hiked, backpacked and skied all over the West.  She loved literature and music. She sang and played cello in the latter years of her life. She served on the board of the Pendleton orchestra and chorale for many years. Fearless about learning new things, and ever thorough, she read all instruction manuals from beginning to end. She could build a bookshelf, bake bread, plow a driveway and set up a new computer.

Betty was also an enthusiastic tennis player from an early age, playing and competing locally and across the U.S. She achieved national ranking in the latter part of her tennis career.  She built the indoor Pendleton Tennis Center in 1987 and played tennis there with friends for many years. In 2021, her tennis friends formed a not-for-profit business in order for Betty to give the Tennis Center to this company for the benefit of the Pendleton area tennis community.

Betty is survived by her children and their partners, Andrew (Amy Hamm), David, Mary (Mark Feigl) and Hal, her grandchildren, Kate, Jacob, Michael, Emily, Noah, Grace, James, and Eve, her sister and her husband, Molly and Clark Naylor, as well as many nieces and nephews and their children. She was predeceased by her husband Andre Paul Brunette. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 9 at 4 pm at her home.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oregon East Symphony and Chorale (https://www.oregoneastsymphony.org/home) in her memory.