Elizabeth Ruhr

Elizabeth (Bette) Loraine Ruhr was born November 6, 1919 in Renwick, Iowa and passed January 28, 2015 at Belmont Village in Thousand Oaks, CA. She succumbed to a long illness and passed peacefully in her sleep. She was the only child of her parents William and Evelyn Beenen. She leaves behind her husband Joseph Ruhr of 48 years of marriage, her only son Randall Kinsling and his wife Susan, Joseph’s daughter Nancy (Ruhr) Chavez, grandchildren Todd Kinsling, Paige Kinsling and great grandchildren Addison Kinsling and Quinn Walker.
Bette, as she was known by all, lived a long and wonderful life. After graduation from Renwick high school she attended Iowa State University at Ames to receive her Bachelors of Science in 1941 in the subject of Home Economics. Her post graduate education was at Iowa State teacher’s College, Cedar Falls where she obtained her teaching credential. Here she met her first husband Harry Kinsling. She started her teaching career and taught first at Renwick High. While living In Iowa City she taught for West Branch High. In 1950 she moved to Mill Valley, CA while her then husband, Harry finished his medical residency. Bette continued teaching at Mt. Tamalpais High School. Later moving to the San Fernando Valley in 1953 where Harry started his private medical practice and she assisted him running the office administration functions.
In addition to teaching many places, she taught different subjects in her various positions, ranging from history, English, art, music and homemaking. She loved homemaking and settled on that subject for the remainder of her teaching for Los Angeles Unified School District finally to become Department Chairman of Homemaking for LAUSD. In addition to her teaching career she also had other talents and held positions in other physician’s offices as the office manager. Later getting her real estate license, working as a real estate team with her husband Joseph Ruhr. During the final years of her teaching career she and her husband began to acquire different residences in the San Fernando Valley, Agoura Hills, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark areas. They moved to new communities as they were developed. Bette enjoyed traveling and went on many trips all over the globe acquiring unique treasures from each area of her travels to complement her home decorations.
After she retired, she again took up her life-long interest in art and became a prolific painter. She enjoyed decorating each of their residences and painting new pictures for each home. She also became a volunteer at Cal Lutheran University in the administration office when they moved to the Thousand Oaks area where she worked for many years.
She enjoyed living their Moorpark home where she and her husband lived until they moved to their final residence at Belmont Village. She was a gracious lady, loving mother and wife. She kept in contact with some of her former students for years after her retirement. She will be missed by all whose lives she touched and enhanced.