age 64, of Littleton CO, formerly of Chelsea, MI. Mary Beth passed away December 31, 2021, with her sisters by her side after a long and courageous battle with a rare form of melanoma. Mary Beth was born at Women’s Hospital in Ann Arbor on April 7, 1957, the daughter of William and Marilyn Chandler of Chelsea.

She graduated from Chelsea High School in 1975. The seeds of her career were planted her senior year when she became the Chelsea Police Department’s afternoon dispatcher. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1979 with a degree in Criminal Justice, and three days later packed her car to move to Colorado where she lived for the rest of her life. Her 37-year career took her in many unique directions. She was one of the first female officers for the Englewood, CO Police Department.

She served as a Patrol officer, Detective and Agent working within her department on investigations - one of which was featured on Unsolved Mysteries as well as working on a multi-jurisdictional drug task force that included undercover operations. She also became a certified Polygraph Specialist working for the District Attorney office. After 21 years with the Englewood PD, she became a Compliance Investigator with the State of Colorado for the Secretary of State. She specialized in inspecting financial records and compliance of not-for-profit organizations. In her last career move she became a Certified Fraud Examiner working as a Criminal Investigator for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office focusing on Financial Fraud. In 2016, she finally retired from all law enforcement to fully focus on her many interests and hobbies.

Mary Beth loved animals especially Cocker Spaniels (she rescued 7 throughout her life) and the donkeys that lived behind her home. She loved the outdoors and traveling. She and her “hiking crew” enjoyed local hikes in the Rockies and trips to Santa Fe, New Mexico. She enjoyed spending time and going to lunch with friends. She loved learning about new cultures and history on her travels to Europe. She spent a great deal of time researching her family history, and enjoyed baking, cooking, and reading. As an artist, Mary Beth painted lovely landscapes and flowers. She used her creativity to repurpose items into unique furniture and decorative items long before “repurposing” was popular. Mary Beth also loved jewelry and spent hours making and selling beautiful, beaded necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Mary Beth was a strong-willed, confident person who was witty and had a deep spiritual side. She loved to laugh and was blessed to have many friends from all of her “walks” of life.

A special thanks to her Roxborough Water District co-workers, neighbors and many friends who offered her help and support always. She will be truly missed.

She is survived by her father, William "Bill" Chandler of Chelsea; sisters Cindy (Richard) Westfall of Rochester, NY, and Carolyn (Nick) Roopas of Ann Arbor, nieces and nephews, Alyssa, Emily, Alex and Evan Roopas, Kathryn (Patrick) Westgrove; and one great-niece Adelaide Rose Westgrove. She was preceded in death by her mother Marilyn in 2020.

A service and burial in Chelsea will be held at a future date in the Spring of 2022. Donations may be made in her memory to The Barn Sanctuary, 20179 McKernan Dr., Chelsea, MI 48118.

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