Obituary of David Eugene Bettencourt

David E. Bettencourt passed away on June 28, 2014 at Capitola Manor in Santa Cruz. He was 74. Dave was born June 9, 1940 in Santa Cruz, the son of Eugenio and Virginia (Martin) Bettencourt. He grew up on the Westside of Santa Cruz and attended, Holy Cross Elementary School and Holy Cross High School. In his earlier years, Dave worked at the Miramar Restaurant as a busboy and later for the Safeway Grocery Store on Mission Street. He worked for Safeway for 30 years until his retirement in 2002 where he was a part of the night crew. He was a member of S.I.R. Branch 36 (Sons in Retirement). Dave never drove, but would been seen walking or taking the bus downtown or to the Capitola Mall. Some of his favorite places to shop were, Marini's, Borders Books and Gottschalks. The highlight of the summer for Dave was attending the Boardwalk Beach Concerts on Friday nights where he would always arrive early to save a seat. He made a number of good friends there, who like him looked forward to the shows each summer. Another favorite pastime was watching high school sports. Probably going back to when he was a kid and he was the Holy Cross High School Team Manager. He regularly attended Santa Cruz and Soquel High Basketball games where he would cheer on the children and grandchildren of his friends. He is survived by his niece and nephews; Linda Bettencourt of Bethesda, MD., Louis Bettencourt of Salem, OR., and Rick Bettencourt of Bakersfield, CA. as well as many dear friends in Santa Cruz. Services will be held on Monday July 7, 2014 at 11:00 am at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz, CA., a reception will follow. Friends are invited to the viewing at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel on Sunday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery on Monday at 2:30 pm. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to light a candle or express your condolences to the family. The family would like to express their deep appreciation to Capitola Manor for the care they provided Dave over the last months of his illness. They would also like to sincerely thank Hospice of Santa Cruz for the comfort and loving support they offered Dave during this last week. In lieu of flowers, contributions are preferred to Hospice of Santa Cruz, 940 Disc Dr., Scotts Valley, CA 95066 or to Holy Cross School, 150 Emmet St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060.