Elizabeth K. "Betsy" Shea

Elizabeth Kuser (Betsy) passed away peacefully and among family on Mon., February 3, 2025, after a sudden and aggressive onset of cancer. 

Betsy was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jerry (Denver, CO) and her brothers Bill (Mesa, AZ) and Raymond (Utica, NY). She is survived by her sisters Cindy (Tucson, AZ) and Pat (Sanford, NC), 5 nieces and nephews, 6 stepchildren, 7 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

Betsy was the daughter of Ed and Peggy Kuser of Elka Park, NY. She was born in Utica, NY, and raised in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, a suburb of NYC, with a population of 8,000. Betsy attended the Hastings public school starting in kindergarten and graduating from Hastings High School in 1967. This made for strong lifelong friendships. After 2 years at Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA, she transferred and graduated from Wagner College on Staten Island, NY, with a B.A. in Sociology. 

 A special place for Betsy was Elka Park in the Catskill Mountains of NY, where she spent all of her summers growing up. Her family owned homes there from the early 1900s until 2000. She visited Elka as often as possible throughout her life, and was instrumental in organizing a large family reunion there in 2015. She was passionate about keeping close ties with everyone in her family tree. Having no direct heirs, her research and documentation regarding her ancestry is an important part of her contribution to the Kuser family legacy. 

Betsy’s career was in accounting and management systems. She worked for Olivetti Corporation in NYC. While with them, she was selected to work on a special project for 3 months at their home office in Ivrea, Italy. That experience was one that she would cherish for the rest of her life. 

In 1977, Olivetti Co. transferred Betsy to Denver. The nature of her work granted her opportunities in new and diverse markets. Her Colorado career included working with a variety of small companies, including Snugli Baby Products, McCunni’s Outboard, Current Stationery, and Columbia Sportswear. In 1991, his good looks, strong faith and Nuggets season tickets attracted Betsy to Jerry. They married 10 years later in Rocky Mountain National Park. Their life together included lots of love, laughter, and travel. They often traveled to Rhode Island to visit grandkids and spent many “timeshare weeks” around the country. 

Attracted by the sun and the Colorado Rockies spring training, they spent several winters, and many vacations, in Arizona. They also traveled twice to Ireland to “visit” ancestors. They enjoyed several cruise trips (with the special couple who introduced them) to Alaska, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Betsy also made an unforgettable trip to Greece, in 2009, to visit her best childhood friend, Linde. 

Betsy may be best remembered by many for her love of cats. The last time she went without a cat for any period of time was at Jerry’s request. He asked if he could please be number one in her life for a while and Betsy decided that was not an unreasonable request. Her charitable interests included mental health volunteering, homeless shelter work for people and animals, and especially her church. Her Catholic faith was the source of many friendships and much strength. When Jerry was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019, it was her faith that helped her through each and every day. This was also true after Jerry passed away in October of 2023. 

Her faith was the foundation that supported her again in January of 2025, when she was diagnosed with cancer. It gave her an unwavering strength and knowing belief that there was nothing to fear. Betsy was friendly and kind. Her joyful laugh and vibrant spirit will be missed by all who had the good fortune of meeting her. 

Services will be held at Christ on the Mountain, in Lakewood on Wed., April 2, 2025, at 11am (Rosary at 10:30am). Interment at Logan National Cemetery (in the same niche with her beloved Jerry) will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ on the Mountain Parish, The Alzheimer's Association (Colorado Chapter, or your preferred area), Samaritan House of Denver, or World Central Kitchen.