Thursday, October 03, 2024

A Mentor passed

Betty Edwards Obituary Obituary 
published on Legacy.com by The Springs Funeral Services - Platte on May 11, 2024. 
Betty Rosetta Carlile Edwards, 92, of Colorado Springs, passed away May 1, 2024.

Born in Miami, Florida, she was the second child of Leslie and Suzanna (Kovatch) Carlile. Betty graduated from Miami Jackson High School with the class of 1949, along with her future husband, Lowell R. Edwards. Betty attended Florida State University earning a degree in Business. After her graduation, and Lowell's commissioning in the Air Force, they married and together began a 26-year military career which included the births of their three children and 10 moves, 2 which were overseas. Betty created a loving, stable home wherever they were and discovered she loved international travel and learning. 

With Lowell approaching retirement from the Air Force, Betty went back to school, attending the University of Colorado and earned a Master's in Business Administration. She was hired by Colorado Interstate Gas in 1978 and enjoyed a 16-year career in Management before retiring. Her experiences in business led her to form her own consulting business and she was on the adjunct faculty at Regis University and Pikes Peak Community College. 

She was a 35-year member of Zonta International and passionately believed in their mission of advancing the status of women around the world. Learning about the prevalence of Human Trafficking in Colorado, Betty started the Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado in 2008 with the support of her Zonta Club, Youth With a Mission (YWAM), and other concerned citizens in Colorado Springs. Serving as the Task Force Chairman for over ten years, she tirelessly championed this cause in southern Colorado through education, collaboration with other organizations, and relentless activism.
 Betty is survived by her brother Richard Carlile and his wife Debbie of Orlando, Florida; her 3 children, Sharon Moore (Kevin) of Wolf Creek, Montana; Sandy Mingonet (Chuck) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Doug Edwards (Gina) of Eugene, Oregon; 4 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Lowell R. Edwards, her parents, her sister, Clara Carlile Phillips, and her brother, Donald Carlile. Services will be held at The Springs Funeral Services, 3115 E Platte Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO on Thursday, May 16, 2024. A viewing for friends will begin at 10:00 am with her Celebration of Life following at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a gift to one of the following organizations in her memory: Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado, PO Box 784, Colorado Springs CO 80901, or the Zonta Club of the Pikes Peak Area, PO Box 7924, Colorado Springs, CO 80933.

Thanks for the friendship Betty - miss you.