Betty Mendelson, 98, a stylish woman who endorsed diversity and equality, passed away in Denver on June 29, 2021. Rabbi Joe Black officiated at the July 13 service at Emanuel Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
“Betty was effortlessly gorgeous and put-together, but what was most remarkable was her inner beauty,” the family said. “Her warmth, open-mindedness and ability to make people feel special continued late into her life.
“She was adored by all who met her, if only for a moment.”
Elizabeth Shapiro was born and raised in Joplin, Mo., where her parents David and Ida (Zeitlin) Shapiro had a shoe store. Their house was the only one on the block that did not have a “no beggars” sign in the window.
This stimulated her lifelong advocacy for the less fortunate.
Voted the smartest girl in her graduating class at Joplin High School in 1940, Mrs. Mendelson received a cash prize from the Daughters of the American Revolution for being the best history student.
When the DAR refused to allow the African-American opera singer Marion Anderson to perform at their convention, she declined the award in protest.
She met Leonard “Lenny” Mendelson, stationed at Camp Crowder near her home, in WW II. They married in 1946 and lived in Brooklyn before moving to Denver in 1951.
Mrs. Mendelson was a bookkeeper at her husband’s used car business; worked in administration at the American Cancer Society and Denver Health; and did fashion runway modeling in her 50s.
A member of Temple Emanuel’s Sisterhood, she studied Spanish, Yiddish, piano, and traveled with her husband.
After Mr. Mendelson died in 1994, she lived independently for many years.
Betty Mendelson is survived by her daughters Marilyn Dee Mendelson and Roberta “Bobbi” Faye Hogan; grandchildren Emelia (Kevin) Nidel and Govinda Hogan; and great-grandchildren Kaiden Leo, Lottie Sonya and Shanti Sloane.
Donations may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center or ACLU.
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