Betty Lou Bartholomew

Betty Lou Bartholomew , age 85 of Tempe, passed away on Wednesday, January 8, 2020. Born May 7, 1934, she is predeceased by her parents Cecil Douglas Miller and Alice Ferrell Miller of Yuma, her brother Neil Ferrell Miller of Cocoa Beach, Florida and her husband William Rupe Bartholomew, of Tempe.

Betty grew up in Yuma where she graduated from Yuma High School. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and afterwards enrolled at Arizona State University where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and received her bachelor’s degree in Education. She and her husband Bill settled in the West Valley community of Maryvale and for nearly 30 years she taught the lost arts of Government and Civics in the Alhambra School District, primarily at the Andalucia and Barcelona Middle Schools.

Besides educating future generations of civic leaders and good citizens, Betty had a passion for politics and community involvement. She was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Maryvale Hospital Auxiliary. She also served as a Senate Page at the Arizona Legislature, held various elected and appointed positions with the Arizona Democratic Party, volunteered for countless political candidates and attended the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago as an alternate delegate. Later, she was the first congressional intern selected by the late Congressman Bob Stump where she used her experience to better teach her students about the importance of an educated electorate in a free society. Upon retirement to Tempe, she became a volunteer with the Tempe Police Department and a financial donor to good causes everywhere.

Although she was known to be a tough teacher, and enforced a rigid discipline in the classroom, she was at heart a liberal with an indomitable belief that “All men are created equal” and worked throughout her life for causes that lifted the underdog and gave voice and support to those in need.

Betty is survived by three children, Bradford Lee Bartholomew (Kurstin), of Scottsdale, Bruce Courtney Bartholomew (Debra), of Chandler, and Brinton Alice Johnson (Mark) of Phoenix. In addition, she is survived by her sister in law, Annette Thomas of California and eight grandchildren. Private Services will be held at a later date.