Vada Ruth Leach

Vada Ruth Leach was born on August 24th, 1932. She was the oldest child of Lester Grant Beans and Mary Hannah (Smith) Beans. She was born in Hayden, Colorado in the home of her Aunt Julia Pizer, and was named after her mom’s twin sister Vada Horton. Elder L.G. Beans and Mary were returned pioneer missionaries from Bolivia, and Grant was pastoring in Wyoming, where Mary returned with the infant “Ruthie.” Three years later her younger brother Don was born on August 25th. Ruthie grew up all over Wyoming as Pastor Beans was transferred to different churches in the state about every three years by the Wyoming Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as was the customary time-frame for that era. The Beans family pastored in Lander, Wyoming three different times over the next 18 years. Lander became the claimed hometown of teenaged Ruthie. Elder Beans started an active youth ministry, and this youth group became tight knit friends that stayed in touch through high school, college and beyond with regular “Lander” reunions happening until just a few years ago. When the high-school years arrived in 1947, Ruthie was sent to the closest Adventist high school, Campion Academy, in Loveland, Colorado. She attended all four years and graduated with the class of 1951. Ruthie had fond memories of her years at Campion and the many friendships she created there. Through a majority of the next 70 years, she lived within a 15-mile radius of the academy. She was a regular attendee of the Campion Academy Alumni weekend and events. Therefore, Ruth requested that any memorial gifts be made to Campion Academy. During high school, Ruthie was involved with many musical groups. Thanks to her mother Mary, who endured many fitful days of resistance to piano practice, Ruthie eventually became an accomplished pianist. Later she would also take up organ and marimba. However, during her academy days she played the bass drum in the band. She was also the accompanist for various vocal groups and the accompanist for the voice teacher, which lead to meeting her future husband, Darrell. She played the piano for his voice lessons and his practice sessions. She fell in love with his voice. Darrell always said that Ruthie was his “one and only girlfriend.” After Academy, Ruthie went on to attend Union College in Lincoln, NE. She attended for one year plus, and then Darrell and Ruthie decided to get married. They were married on April 11, 1953 in Denver, Colorado. They moved back to Lincoln for three years. While Darrell attended Union College, Ruthie worked at Bett’s Western Wear Store. In May of 1956, they started their own family with the birth of their oldest child Richard Darrell who was born in Lincoln. The next year they moved to La Sierra, CA where Darrell continued his studies. However, they decided to move back to Colorado the following year, when Darrell landed a job teaching grades 1-8 in Monte Vista, Colorado. Next, they moved to Greeley, CO, to another teaching position, where Reginald Scott was born in 1961. In 1963 Darrell and Ruthie were called to use their musical talents with the Colorado Conference Evangelism Team. Darrell was the musical evangelist and Ruthie his accompanist. They both worked with Evangelist Harold Williams. The Leach family travelled throughout Colorado for three years, moving every 8 weeks in a mobile home to a new location. As a result, Ruthie and Darrell became semi-professional musicians throughout the Colorado community over the next 30 years – singing and playing for many weddings, funerals, and church events. In 1966, the constant moving took its toll. Darrell accepted another teaching position in Ft. Collins, CO. After a couple more years, another move was in order to Loveland, CO, where Darrell transitioned back to his college vocation of masonry and construction. The family lived in Loveland for most of the next 50 years – continuing to move from one spec-built house to another until 1979, when they finally settled on Puma Drive, where they lived for over 30 years. Throughout this time, Ruthie raised the boys, but also supplemented the family income by teaching piano lessons. She taught private lessons in her home, her student’s homes, and at her beloved Campion Academy for many years. She also worked part-time as a bookkeeper at Sweetheart Broom Shop as well as doing all the bookkeeping for Leach Construction Specialties over the years. She was known as a very sweet piano teacher and occasionally spent more time as her student’s confidant and “counselor” rather than focusing on the piano music alone. In reviewing memories with family, Ruthie is remembered for her unique interior design of the houses that Darrell built (ask Rick). She was given a camera by her mom as a teenager and was passionate about taking travel pictures and family photos throughout the years – sometimes to the annoyance of the boys for all the slow downs and picture stops. But this gave her something to do in retirement as she spent many happy hours scrapbooking her boxes and boxes of pictures into albums. Ruthie was also remembered for her cooking – potato salad was a constant at friend’s get-togethers and potlucks, tamale pie, cookies, frozen apple sauce and peaches, cinnamon rolls, pies and other family favorites. Ruthie was most passionate about her music. She practiced the piano regularly up until about three weeks before her death. The grandkids remember her as “Grammie who loved playing with us” – hide-and-seek, inside and outside, croquet, board games and table games, constant energy and activity. Ruthie was Grammie to five grandchildren, Theron, Thane, Nickolas, Nicole and Regina. In 2017, Darrell passed away after 64 years of marriage. Ruthie stayed in Loveland for two more years, wintering in Phoenix with son Reggie. In 2020 the winter trip to Phoenix turned permanent when the pandemic made it impractical for Ruthie to return back to her Loveland home. Reggie, daughter-in-law Kelle, and grandson Theron were blessed to have Ruthie living with them for the past three years. She enjoyed her 90th birthday celebration in August of 2022. Ruthie passed away peacefully from complications of Lymphoma on December 15th, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. She is now asleep in Jesus, awaiting the return of her Lord and Savior. A Funeral Service will be held 2:30pm, Saturday, January 14, 2023 at the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church, 300 42nd Street SW, Loveland, CO 80537. A private interment will be held at Roselawn Cemetery, Ft. Collins.

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Vada Ruth Leach

August 24, 1932 - December 15, 2022