Beatrice Rethlake

Beatrice C. Hillman Rethlake, age 95, of Tualatin, Oregon and formerly a longtime resident of Los Angeles and Minneapolis, died Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Funeral services will be at noon on Friday, Sept. 11, at First Lutheran Church in Litchfield with Pastor David Sorenson officiating. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. that day. Interment will follow the services at Lake Ripley Cemetery. Born on Nov. 4, 1913, to Charles and Mary (Lindell) Hillman, Beatrice and her four siblings were reared on a farm outside of Litchfield. She graduated in 1931 from Litchfield High School. After graduation, she attended a normal school for teacher’s training and taught at country schools in the Litchfield area for the next two years. She then moved to Minneapolis, married Harold “Bud” Rethlake, and through the years also lived in Washington D.C., Oakland, and Los Angeles. For eight years, she and her husband owned and operated Bud’s Beach resort on Lake Belle Taine near Park Rapids. In her 40s, she returned to the University of Minnesota to earn her bachelor’s degree in education. She taught special education in Minneapolis and Oakland and for many years, taught hearing handicapped children in Santa Monica. Throughout her life, Beatrice had an interest in real estate, buying and selling a number of properties, and she was also an imaginative writer . During the 1950s, she submitted winning essays and jingles in various contests and received many prizes, including a refrigerator. An outstanding cook and baker, she loved to try new recipes and for several years, worked part-time for a Los Angeles caterer. She was also a lifelong reader and whenever you walked by her apartment at 6 p.m. every evening you would always hear the strains of “Jeopardy” coming through the door. Beatrice had an outgoing personality, loved to laugh, and was a strong role model for her children. She is survived by her four children: Kurt Rethlake of Minneapolis; Kathy Rethlake Moening (and Mark Moening) of Portland, OR; Kent Rethlake (and Mari Dieckman) of Flagstaff, AZ; and Kristie Rethlake of Tualatin, OR She is also survived by five grandchildren: Rakell Rethlake (and John Thornburg) of Payson, AZ; Zack Rethlake of Minneapolis, MN; Katie Moening of Portland, OR; and Clay and Daniel Rethlake of Flagstaff, AZ.; one great-grandchild, Luke Thornburg, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Inie Swanson, and her three brothers, Inar, Ld and Leroy Hillman.