Ruth Ann Beechick grew up in the rural Foster area, south of Seattle. At Foster Grade School and High School she had several teachers who were graduates of Seattle Pacific College. Her music teacher in school taught her music also at Foster Presbyterian Church.
That music teacher made sure that Ruth majored in music at Seattle Pacific College. She was in a vocal trio, part of a gospel team to represent SPC. Also she sang in the college a capella choir, the best choir she has ever heard. Years after college she heard a beautiful sounding instrument on the radio, a vibraharp. She decided to get one for herself so that she could make that beautiful sound. She played it in church and many others enjoyed that beautiful sound.
Hymns that she loved and sang as solos were My Jesus As Thou Wilt, God Leads Us Along, and Ten Thousand Angels. She told a story about Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us. During the war a guard standing watch at night was singing that song, and a German hiding in the bushes about to shoot him decided not to shoot him when he heard him singing. The hymn, Living for Jesus, inspired Ruth as young girl. She noticed the words while singing it with the congregation one Sunday, and in the act of singing she dedicated her life to the Lord.
At vacation Bible School Ruth was trying hard to win a Bible memory contest. But each time she would memorize a passage, her younger sister copied her and memorized the same passage. So just before the deadline, during a time when the other kids were out playing, Ruth sat in the church pew and concentrated the hardest she ever did on memorizing a passage, the ten commandments. She won the contest, and that passage has stuck with her ever since.
After reading Philippians 4:8 she realized that you are what you think, and that became her life verse. It says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Ruth loved the outdoors and rugged nature. As a child she took church trips to Mount Rainer, the Cascades, and the Olympics. Her first teaching job was in another rugged place, Valdez, Alaska. There she met Paul. After they got married she helped him build their first house on a homestead on Lazy Mountain outside of Palmer, Alaska. She went sheep hunting with Paul so that she could climb the mountains and view the scenery. She canoed down the Yukon River, and rafted down the Rogue River. She loved her last mountain home in Golden, Colorado, with a big picture window and views of the valley and deer in the yard.
Ruth spent a lifetime teaching and studying how people learn. First she taught her youngest sister the Lord’s prayer and the 23rd Psalm. Later she taught her sons to memorize chapters like Isaiah 53. As her life went on, she taught all the grades, from first grade on up through college. She taught in Washington state, Alaska, Arizona and in several colleges and seminaries in other states. She also spent thirteen years at Accent Publications writing curriculum for churches. Then she continued to write for the burgeoning homeschool movement. Amazon lists 68 of her books. One set of her books was translated into Chinese. She wrote many articles for homeschooling magazines and spoke at homeschooling conventions. Her degrees are A.B. from Seattle Pacific University, M.A.Ed. and Ed.D. from Arizona State University.
A book most influential on her thinking and writings was The Genesis Flood.
Ruth was born August 29, 1925 and died November 27, 2013 at 88 years old. Preceding Ruth in death is one brother, Bob, and one sister, Wilma. Surviving Ruth are two sisters, Hazel and JoAnne, two sons, Allen and Andy, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
She received the first annual homeshooling Ruth Beechick award. And now she has another, having heard those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
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