BEATRICE C. LUEBKEMAN's Obituary
Beatrice C. Luebkeman May 19, 1922 – November 17, 2014Beatrice Charlotte Luebkeman, passed away peacefully at home on November 17, 2014 at the age of 92. Her husband of 64 years Donald Luebkeman and daughter Lynda, who cared for her the last 7 years, were nearby. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Beatrice had a friendly welcoming smile, was a caring person, with an unwaveringly dedication to her family.Born Beatrice Charlotte Ross, May 19, 1922 in Berkeley, California and raised in Castro Valley, California, living there her entire life. She attended Castro Valley Elementary and graduated from Hayward High School in 1940. Beatrice attended the University of California Berkeley, before completing her Pharmacy degree at the University of California San Francisco. She was a pioneer as a woman Pharmacist, entering what was then an almost exclusively man’s field. Beatrice was a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), an organization in which she initially could only join as an “associate” member due to her receiving a degree in what was then deemed a “man’s” field. As a result of women like Beatrice, perceptions changed and she was later granted full membership in the organization in which she was active for many years. Beatrice worked as a Pharmacist in various locations including San Francisco during WWII and the years immediately after, the old VA Hospital in Oakland and Kaiser Permanente. It was at the Oakland VA Hospital that she met her husband Donald, to whom she was married in 1950.Beatrice retired from working full-time as a Pharmacist in 1952 with the birth of her first child. Raising her 5 children would become her passion and dedication. With the birth of her youngest child, Lynda, Beatrice became particularly engaged in issues around deaf education. Beatrice enjoyed gardening, spending time at their home in the Sierras and taking care of her grandchildren. In addition to her family, Beatrice took great pride in being a native Californian, defending her beloved state at every opportunity, and being a graduate of the University of California, always rooting on Cal to win the Big Game against Stanford.It was a great blessing that Beatrice was able to remain in her home of 62 years and beloved town of Castro Valley until the end. She is survived by her husband Donald; their 5 children: Theodore Luebkeman of Redding, California, Kurt Luebkeman of Portland, Oregon, Carla Mill of Castro Valley, Joel Luebkeman of San Francisco and Lynda Luebkeman of Castro Valley; as well as 6 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Beatrice’s honor to: George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro (georgemark.thankyou4caring.org) and the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf in Redwood City (jwposd.ejoinme.org).
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