Virginia Beckwith Obituary

VIRGINIA ROSE WORTHINGTON BECKWITH
March 18, 1929 ˜ January 21, 2023

Virginia Beckwith, 93, left to be with our Lord at 3:18 early Saturday morning.
Virginia Rose Worthington was born to Matilda (Tillie) Richmond Worthington and William (Bill) Worthington in Cle Elum, WA, the youngest of four children. The family moved to Yakima during Virginia’s freshman year of high school. She graduated from Yakima’s Davis High School in 1947 and attended Yakima Business School where the US Reclamation Bureau selected her as their typist/office employee. It was during this time she met and married John Beckwith on May 29, 1948. They moved to the Oregon coast at Warrenton, where daughter Sandra was born in Astoria. Then they moved back to Washington in 1951, following John’s construction jobs. They lived in Penawawa, WA, until 1954, where John was Farm Manager of Eggers Fruit and Cattle Ranch. Daughters Beverlee and Sharon were born while they lived there, in 1951 and 1952.
In 1955, they bought a peach orchard in northern Garfield County along the Snake River in Washington. Virginia maintained a huge garden and canned and froze the vegetables and fruit that they raised. Most summer evenings and weekends, found the family at the swimming beach soon called Beckwith Beach where many learned to water ski, swim, play beach volleyball, barbeque, and jump from the swinging rope.
They also bought a cattle ranch and wheat field 16 miles farther down river at Wades Bar during the early 1960s. In 1967, the Corp of Engineers bought their upper land for the Granite Dam project and then the lower place for the Little Goose Dam project a few years later. They moved into Pomeroy, WA, and built the Beckwith Apartments and bought the Grange Insurance Agency, where Virginia worked with John. John also sold real estate.
Virginia and John were very supportive of their daughters’ activities at Pomeroy High and stopped whatever they were doing to go to any games, where ever they happened to be cheering. They were proud that they put all three daughters through college at Washington State University and were lifelong fans of football and basketball for the Cougar teams, as well as the Seahawks and Blazers.
During their retirement years, the Beckwiths enjoyed traveling in their motorhome and also via plane, train, and ship to every U.S. state, Canada, Caribbean Islands, Panama Canal, and Hawaiian Islands. They also became snow birds heading south each winter while John was able to drive the motorhome. They were awesome grandparents too!
After 64 years of marriage, John passed away in 2012. Virginia moved from King City, OR, to the Salmon Creek area in Vancouver, WA, to be nearer to family.
Virginia is survived by daughter, Beverlee (Ralph) Funk of Vancouver, WA; five grandchildren: Cory (Tina) Denman of Lafayette, CO, Lindsay Denman (Jon) Stockman of Vancouver, WA, Christina Blattner (Ben) Turley of Snoqualmie, WA, Sara Funk (Justin) Kessel of Puyallup, WA, and Brittney Funk (Kjell) Mauseth of Liberty Lake, WA; also great-grandchildren: Dylan and Aubrey Stockman, Jake and Cole Kessel, Ava Denman, and Sawyer Turley. Virginia is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Previously deceased are: husband, John Beckwith; daughters, Sandra Beckwith (Bill) Rennewanz, and Sharon Beckwith (John) Blattner; sisters, Viola (Marvin) Stamper, Thelma (Kenneth) Money; and brother, Robert (Betty) Worthington.
A service will be held in March at Willamette National Cemetery with a Celebration of Life to follow. Donations may be made to American Cancer Society.
Please share a memory @ www.columbian.com/obits