Rebecca Kembel

Beckey was born in Ritzville, Washington on June 26, 1943 to Ronald and Maxine Watkins. She had a wonderful childhood growing up on the Watkins family wheat farm and cattle ranch in Benge, WA. She attended Benge School, and then graduated from Washtucna High School in 1961.

Just after graduating from high school, she married Richard Austin and together they had two children: Rory Dean and Cregg Lansing.

In 1971 Beckey married her second husband, Dennis Kembel. They lived in Ritzville, WA where Dennis operated the Kembel family wheat farm and Beckey owned the Kembel (Grange) Insurance Agency. She later owned and operated the Pastime in Ritzville, along with her partner Jerry Allert.

In Ritzville, Beckey was active with the bowling league, the Ritzville Rodeo Association, the Ritzville Float, and she even drove in the annual Demolition Derby.

Beckey moved to the Kona Reef in Kailua-Kona, HI in 1997. She worked for several years as a salesperson at Kona Hawaiian Village (Club Wyndham). Later she worked at Dolphin Galleries in the Kings’ Shops in Waikoloa and lived at Waikoloa Villas, which she thoroughly enjoyed, surrounded by friends and her son, Cregg, and family nearby.

She was involved with the local senior’s club activities and had just made a wonderful trip to the mainland to visit family and friends, including a week-long vacation to Priest Lake, ID where she had enjoyed many family vacations throughout the years.

Beckey is survived by her sons; Rory (Donna) Kembel and family from Spokane, WA and Cregg (Julie) Kembel, her grandson; Austin Kembel all from Kailua- Kona HI, her brother; Randy (Jan) Watkins from Whitefish, MT and Honaunau, HI, her niece; Shay Watkins from Truckee, CA and her nephew; Ry (Carling) Watkins from Whitefish, MT.

She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. She was always so friendly and optimist, the world was a wonderful place for her. A celebration of her life will take place in January. Her ashes will be scattered equally between the family farm in Benge and the ocean.