Elisabeth (Bette) Adams Wengart

Bette is the ideal representation of a Marine Corp woman: savvy, intuitive, strong minded, attractive in a confident, controlled way. She inspires admiration from those in the Corp and outside of it. You either love her, or you are envious of her strength. She can be intimidating in an understated way, and she tells you where to go and makes you look forward to the trip, so to speak. She’s a Mama Lioness to her cubs and a loyal partner to her king of beasts. Ryan loves her quiet beauty, her long, flowing black hair almost always worn up, her soft olive skin and captivating dark brown eyes, and the way she takes his breath away with a sly wink and a nod of her head.

Her presence radiates a gentle yet unmistakable confidence, blending poise with genuine kindness. She approaches both challenges and joys with a spirit that uplifts those around her, creating an atmosphere of comfort and trust. Her loyalty to friends and family is steadfast, and she supports her loved ones with a quiet strength and an open heart. The harmony she maintains between intellect and empathy, together with her graceful style, makes her not only someone to admire but a true inspiration. In every interaction, she brings warmth and authenticity, leaving a lasting, cherished impression on everyone fortunate enough to know her.

Lucky Ryan!

After Bette was born in 1975, her parents were killed in the Fall of Saigon, and she came to America through Operation Babylift, adopted by close friends of Herschel and Margana — the same friends who had stood as Maid of Honor and Best Man at the Wengarts' wedding that same year. Bette's adoptive parents settled in Denver but visited the Wengarts in Bozeman often, especially at holidays, so she and Ryan grew up crossing paths at family gatherings for years — she four years his senior, and largely unnoticed by him until adulthood caught up with them both. They had nothing in common, as far as either of them could tell, until 1998, when they found themselves at the same Marine Corps Ball in Denver, ten hours from Bozeman. Ryan had just enlisted after high school graduation; Bette, freshly commissioned as a Lieutenant and family nurse practitioner, was already in uniform. In spite of the years between them, it was love at first sight — Ryan tall and handsome in his dress blues, looking older than his years, and Bette a petite, totally capable Marine officer, looking stunning in hers. After the ball, they talked all night at a local twenty-four-hour diner, falling more deeply in love with every moment.

They married in Bozeman in the summer of 2001, three months before the world changed, surrounded by family and more Marine Corps dress blues than the chapel had probably ever seen — the kind of wedding people still talk about. Ryan and Bette went to New York for their honeymoon in August, welcomed into the home of old friends who had settled there. And on September 11th that same year, their joy turned into tragedy when those friends were among the lives lost at the Twin Towers. Ryan and Bette were soon deployed to Afghanistan, witnessing the fall of the Taliban regime and the arrival of the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force. 

Through much prayer and communication with their families, they were spared injury throughout the War on Terrorism and returned home in the spring of 2004 to orders for the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center at Pickel Meadows, south of Lake Tahoe — where their mission was to prepare Marine, joint, and allied forces for combat in mountainous, high-altitude, cold-weather conditions. It was a short posting: by that October, with Ryan's enlistment up for renewal, they made the decision together to transition to the Marine Corps Reserves and moved back to Denver, CO, to be near Bette's parents and finally build the ordinary life neither of them had let themselves picture.

Four quiet years followed — a rented house, drills one weekend a month instead of deployments — before Flynn arrived first, red-faced and furious, with identical twin brother Tyler close behind him in June 2009. “Mom” and “Dad” continued serving as Marine reservists until 2018, when they retired together on the twins' ninth birthday. Bette went on to work as a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, CO, while Ryan joined the Denver Fire Department, eventually heading up its Safety and Training division to prepare and equip firefighters with the skills to perform safely and effectively. 

As always, their servant hearts looked to the safety of others.