Beulah Mae Rowden Humphrey, aged 95, crossed "over the sunset sea" on March 25, 2023, surrounded by loved ones at St. Andrews at New Florence Care Community. She was born on November 24, 1927, in Maries County, Missouri, at the home of her parents, Alman and Mabel Rowden. That homeplace, on the Little Tavern Creek, just down the road from Wheeler School and her grandmother's house, was a favorite place for her to return to her whole life. She graduated from Vienna High School in 1943 and maintained close friendships with her classmates. She lived in Granite City, IL, while working at the Army Depot and then as an instructor for Singer Sewing Machines; later jobs she enjoyed included medical technician at Barnes Hospital, and nanny for Michael and Matthew Kirkpatrick. She married Lloyd Humphrey on June 25, 1957, in St. Louis, and they had three daughters, Rebecca McCollum (Russell Metcalf), Melissa Atchison (Robert), and Peggy Edwards. They resided in Maryland Heights, MO, until Lloyd's retirement in 1990, when they moved to Beaufort, MO.
Beulah loved being a mother and providing for her family's needs, including sewing their clothing, preserving garden produce, and cooking nutritious meals. She and Lloyd opened their home to 17 foster children between 1965 and 1979, including Dottie Seitz, practicing the hospitality and compassion that faith in Jesus inspired in them. They were charter members and leaders of the OWLS (Older Wiser Loving Servants) program at Trinity Free Will Baptist Church beginning in 1981, and after Beulah returned to the St. Louis area, she co-led the program until 2018. Beulah was an avid reader, continued to collect recipes and research topics of interest to her into her late years. She began writing articles for the Maries County Historian in 2017, lovingly writing out her memories by hand, telling the story of her years of growing up on the farm during the Depression; her last contribution was published in 2019. Beulah valued the simple ways of living, being a generous friend and neighbor, and especially following Christ with her whole heart.
Beulah is survived by two siblings (Virginia Carroll, Jerry Rowden), her daughters, eight grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, her spouse, and six siblings (Clifford Rowden, Eula Rotter, Lilly Barton, Helen Riemenschneider, Don Rowden, and Bill Rowden).
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made in Beulah's honor to the Wendell Foster Agency of Owensboro, KY, which supports people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, Gentiva Hospice, or Trinity Free Will Baptist Church, Bridgeton, MO.