Obituary
Mindy Ladelle Bothwell
1951-2026
Born Mindy Ladelle Hassel on April 6, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois to Verna Rae Bothwell and Eskil Hassel. Her mother was a talented singer and piano player who performed in Chicago venues. Her father was born in Sweden and immigrated to the US as a child. He served in England and Europe for the US Army during WWII.
At an early age, Mindy and her older sister Beda were taken in, and later adopted by her uncle and aunt, Glenn Oscar Bothwell and Betty Odessa Bothwell. She and her sister grew up with three older brothers, Glenn C. “Kip”, Eric “Ric”, and Kim on Cedar Lake in northwest Indiana. She adored her brothers and would even do their chores for them. Living on a lake, they spent much of their time swimming and sailing. In the winter they would sail iceboats. While she loved to play outside with the boys, she also helped her mom with cooking, cleaning, and sewing.
Mindy graduated from Crown Point High School in 1969 and started at Indiana University in Bloomington in the fall. She was immersed in the counterculture of the times. Peace and love. Groovy afternoons in the campus meadows. Bra burning and women's lib, although she was still ironing and mending her brothers' clothes while in college and helping her mom cook on holidays. She graduated from IU in 1973. In December she married Doug Woods. For a while they lived in a cabin in the Indiana woods with no running water that required crossing a creek to get to the house.
In 1974 she and Doug headed west to Boise, Idaho to be near her brother Dr. Glenn Bothwell, his wife Glida, and their two young sons Brian and Jamie. Their brother Kim also came to Boise that year. She divorced Doug Woods in 1977. Mindy was then married to Micheal Teter from 1978-1980. They lived in a cabin in Idaho City.
Mindy always loved animals and worked for the Idaho Human Society for several years. She also worked for the Boise Parks. She lived in Boise until the late 1980’s when she moved south to a warmer climate in Napa, California. There she met, and later married Ross Cofer. They were married from 1991- 2002.
On Feb. 4, 1991, Mindy started her 37 years of sobriety. Much of her life from then on was focused on her, and others, sobriety. She went back to school and got certified as a drug and alcohol counselor. She worked as a counselor at St. Helena Hospital in the Napa Valley for over two decades. She was always active in AA.
She lost her father, Glenn, to cancer in 2004. Although always close to her mother Betty, she took her father's place as Betty’s confidant. They talked on the phone most days and shared the ups and downs of their lives.
After retiring, she moved back to Boise in 2014 to be near her mother Betty, and brother “Kip”. She bought a home in north Boise that she shared with her beloved cats. First Rheba, and then Tara. She often walked along the canal nearby. Mindy would walk for hours on the Greenbelt by the Boise River, some days as many as 9 miles. She had many friends and was still active in AA.
In Spring of 2016 Mindy had a successful open-heart surgery a month after her mother Betty passed away at age 94. In Oct. 2016 her brother Ric died at age 69 of a heart attack while hunting.
Mindy never met a stranger and was a beacon of hope for all those she met. She supported AA, the Humane Society and other animal organizations. She was preceded in death by her sister Beda, and the many cats and dogs she rescued.
“One day at a time” was her favorite expression. She leaves behind her brothers Glenn “Kip” and Kim, nephews Jason, Brian and Jamie, and niece Lori, and her beloved cat Tara.
Donations to animal shelters or AA in Mindy’s honor would be what she would have wanted. Rest in peace, beautiful soul.
June 7th Celebration of Life
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I see you in a field in heaven filled with flowers, bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Peace and love.
But most of all having a friend that gave the best hugs. God speed Mindy. God speed
She is the kindest person I have ever met. Soft-spoken, brightest person in any room. And a lucky lady at Bunco!!
Thank you Mindy for making it easy for me to keep coming back 🙏 😇
See you in heaven.
Brenda Mattson
You were always kind and loving towards me. You had the warmest hugs and genuine smile. Every time we crossed paths you were always a bright light in my life. Im grateful to have known you over the years. Thank God the love we give and the love we receive is transferable between this realm and the next. Love Cat
Cousin Lucinda
..but it is a blessing that she didn't suffer long.
I will miss her voice on the phone.
She will be so very missed, yet always remembered as one of the most good and solid individuals I’ve been blessed with meeting along this life journey.
My thoughts and warm prayers are with her dear family and all who were touched by her loving presence…..ff
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