Mary Beth Amen (simply “Beth” to most all) passed away peacefully at the age of seventy at her Freshwater home on May 3. She was a sixty-two-year resident of Humboldt County, with a lifetime of family and friends to show for it.

Beth was born in Newport News, Virginia while her father, William Thomas Amen, was deployed with the United States Navy. She often insisted that her full name was Mary Beth Virginia Randolph Amen, as Randolph was the name of her dad’s aircraft carrier at the time of her birth. Both Beth’s father, Tom Amen, and her mother, Gladys Rose Grove, attended Humboldt State University-perhaps portending Beth’s own career in higher education.

Following graduation from Eureka High School in 1971, Beth attended and graduated from HSU in 1978, subsequently working at the McKinleyville branch of College of the Redwoods. She then returned to HSU, where she served as Political Science Department secretary for fifteen years. Managing the Office of the Vice-President of Student Affairs was her final role at Humboldt State.

Having lost her dad at a young age to an airplane crash (on approach to the McKinleyville airport), Beth’s stepdad, Chuck Bower (“Western Auto-on the plaza in Arcata”), was a rock for both Beth and her mother for decades. And Beth in turn was a rock for both Chuck and “Lala” before they passed away.

Beyond the humans in her life, Beth’s deepest loves were canines and horses.

There was always at least one boxer in Beth’s home, starting with “Tex” when the family lived in Tom’s last duty station in Beeville, Texas. The dogs were joined by horses as soon as she had sufficient pastureland in Freshwater, and Beth competed in several endurance-riding contests over the years. Anyone wishing to memorialize Beth’s passing is encouraged to donate to Redwood Pals Rescue (https://redwoodpalsrescue.org).

Beth was predeceased by her first husband, Elsworth Pence, and then by a second, John Travis. She is survived by her brother, Tim Amen (Seattle), her niece Meegan Amen (Seattle), cousin Serena (Seattle); her sister, Lori Amen (Asti, Italy), niece Erika (Milan, Italy); her cousin, Chris Freeman (Bayside); stepbrothers Wayne Bower (Eureka), niece Stacy Juchtzer (Eureka) with husband Rick and their children Logan & Halie, and Charles Bower (Redding); and her stepson, Chris Pence (Arcata).