Bette Bostwick Campbell

Bette Bostwick Campbell passed away peacefully on November 9, 2020.  She was born on January 7, 1937 to Florence and Harold Bostwick in Cleveland, Ohio, and was raised in Chardon, Ohio, a few miles to the east. 

Bette spent grades 8 -12 as a “dorm girl” at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.  She was president of the “Dorm” her senior year and left with great confidence as she moved on to Skidmore College.  Here, she enjoyed the privileges of a girls’ college surrounded by several prominent men’s schools.  Along with the academic challenges, she held numerous class officer positions and represented her class on the Honor Board.   After graduation, she traveled Europe for several months with two friends on $5 a day. She ended up in Boston, with four roommates and working at the Harvard Business School.  After three years she met and married the love of her life, Trent Campbell in 1963.  They returned to his native Texas in 1966 and began their special life raising their daughters, Tracy and Debbie.

Bette’s family was her greatest treasure and she loved volunteering at her daughters schools, taking them on numerous field trips and supporting them in their many activities.  She was a wonderful cook and used this talent for entertaining and having dinner parties in their home for their cherished friends.  She was a member of the Houston Junior Forum and after sustaining from that organization, moved on, volunteering at the MFAH and for the Houston Symphony as a guild officer, chairman and co-chair of numerous events and a member of the Board of Directors.

Bette and Trent bought their condo in Vail Village in 1981 and with their daughters, and eventually their families, spent years skiing in the winter and playing golf, hiking, and attending concerts in the summer.  There were so many wonderful memories of Vail.  Bette loved travel and new adventures, as attested by the stamps in her passport.

Bette is survived by her husband Trent and their daughters Tracy Campbell McKenzie and Deborah Campbell Dempsey, husbands Timothy Cass McKenzie and Paul Walter Dempsey, her grandchildren, Madeleine Grace McKenzie, Hadley Campbell Dempsey and Gehrig Campbell Dempsey.  She is also survived by her brother, John O. Bostwick and her sister-in-law, Blake Campbell Vaughn, and their respective families.

Remembrances may be directed to the Houston Symphony.  The immediate family will gather for a graveside service.