Elizabeth (Bette) Bille Adler, 97, Marshfield, died on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at Ministry St. Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 26, 2016 at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, 1414 West 5th Street, Marshfield with Rev. Eric Berns officiating. Burial will take place in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. The visitation will be held on Friday from 9 a.m. until service time at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Hansen-Schilling Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Bette was born in Marshfield, June 2, 1919, to J.P. and Rosamond (Bille) Adler. She attended St. John’s Catholic School and McKinley High School before obtaining her post secondary education at Milwaukee-Downer and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Bette worked as a chemist for Kimberly Clark a short time, before returning to Marshfield to run the family business, a job her father had been grooming her for all her life.

Bette was born and raised in the Adler Theater Company and watched as her father grew the company into one of the state’s largest independent theater chains, with theaters spanning from Milwaukee to Antigo.

After her father’s death, Bette took over as president of the remaining businesses and ran the company until it was sold to her close friend Paul Rogers.

Following her retirement from business, Bette and her sister, Anne, pioneered the creation of the Marshfield Area Community Foundation, in an effort to give back to the community that Bette loved and had always called home.

Among the funds administered by the foundation is the J.P. Adler Community Improvement Fund. The fund recently became the springboard for the enhanced bear habitat at Wildwood Park & Zoo which provided a gateway for obtaining the Kodiak bears.

The sisters also funded the gazebo project at Central Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.

Bette was a vital presence in the Marshfield community. Among the many organizations she was active in, Bette was a charter member of Altrusa, as well as a member of the Marshfield Business & Professional Women, Marshfield Women’s Club, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, and a 1994 member of Leadership Marshfield.

Bette is survived by her special cousins Jerry & Sharon Seeger, Marshfield, and their children: Gail (Rich George) Seeger, Riverside, IL; Gary (Marilene) Seeger, Marshfield; and Kurt (Tina) Seeger, Auburndale; Phylliss (Charles) Eberhardy, Kent, WA; Roger (Liz) Seeger, Minneapolis; and Jane (Michael) Koenig, Marshfield; her many cousins and extended relation; and especially all of the special caregivers who have loved her over the years.

Bette was proud of her last name, Adler, which in German, means eagle. One of her favorite sayings was, “The eagle has landed.”

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.