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Today's Featured Biography

 
Beth Oldham Johnston

Graduated in 1968 from WSU in Elementary Education & started teaching 2nd grade in the Edmonds School District. Tom and I got married in 1969 and celebrate our 40th anniversary next week, it’s been a wonderful love story all these years.
    I taught 5 years then we started our family. Darah, who is now 35, married and living in the Seattle area. Garrett 32, married and living in the San Francisco Bay area. Tyler, 24 not married yet and is living in the Seattle area as well. I was able to stay home with them as they grew up, which was such a joy and fulfillment for me.
    We have lived on Bainbridge Island the past 35 years where Tom began his architecture practice and now the last 15 years has developed, designed, owned and managed retirement communities throughout the northwest. He has the joy of having 2 of our children work with him at Northwest Care Management. Our daughter Darah for 15 years, just having become the Vice President of the company and our son Tyler who joined the company in March doing graphic design and marketing. Our oldest son Garrett is Vice President of risk analysis for an insurance company in San Francisco.
    Besides being active with the kids growing up, I’ve taught Sunday school in the elementary grades for 30+ years, which has kept my love for teaching alive. I’ve also have been very active in Bible Study Fellowship for the past 22 years in a leadership role as a discussion leader. I enjoy so much having a different group of 15 ladies each year to walk along side of, get to know closely, and encourage them in their study of the Bible.
    My love of gardening has taken over much of my spare time the last 20 years going from a couple pots of flowers on the deck to a large extensive garden of annuals, perennials, pots and baskets. I love it all. So do the deer however, which are not my favorite anymore!
    Our family has been very fortunate to have traveled to Ethiopia these past 3 years to work in an orphanage called Project Mercy. What a gift we have all received from these precious children by being involved in their lives and enriching ours. Our 10 yr. old granddaughter has been especially touched by the experience, what a vision it has set in her heart to reach out and bless others.
    Speaking of grandchildren, I love being Grandma! Since we only have 1 so far, I have the best, as she just lives down the road from us. What a joy it is to be part of her life. Grandma’s teaching her how to make pies right now and of course I’ve already got her gardening.
    I feel like we also have another “granddaughter” in Spain as we’ve just had a 17 year old Basque girl from that region in our home this summer. The program brings teenagers to the U.S. to live with American families to better their English skills. What a fun time it was mixing both our cultures. We hope to visit her family now in the spring.
    Our newest adventure the last couple of years has been boating. We’ve learned a lot and have some great stories to tell but the highlights have been some wonderful relaxing trips shared with friends. We just spent 2 weeks up in beautiful Desolation Sound in Canada with wonderful warm weather.
    Tom is still saying he doesn’t plan to retire, just refire… so who knows what the next years will bring. See you at our 50th!
Our biggest change these past 5 years is Tom is "semi-retired" now showing up at his office when he wants. Our daughter runs the day-to-day affairs of his assisted living company and as Tom says, "He just has to take care of the Big Boy stuff." More time away from the business has opened up a wonderful new adventure for us. We bought a 2nd. home in Palm Desert, Ca. 3 years ago. We spend at least 6 weeks at a time down there from Oct.-May with a couple short returns home to Bainbridge Island. It has been special to reconnect with many former friends who also spend part of the year down south. Our children and their families love to come to the desert so we've had some wonderful family times. The beautiful sunshine and warmth are very inviting.
We have added to our family 2 more granddaughters. Our son Garret has blessed us with 2 delightful little girls - one 4 years old and a newborn 1 month old. Our oldest granddaughter is 15, just finished her freshman year at Bainbridge High School, got her drivers permit and is anxious to drive. With all these different ages and stages of life it is such fun to be a grandparent. Our 3 grown children are spread from Bainbridge Island and San Francisco to New York. Our youngest son Tyler spent part of last year in Beijing, China doing an internship in advertising so of course we went for a wonderful visit in the spring while he was there. He showed us all the sights and took us to his favorite restaurants. He wanted us to try "scorpions on a stick"that you saw in all the market places but we passed on that!
We still live on Bainbridge Island in the beautiful house on the water that Tom designed for us about 30 years ago. I'm still doing ministry with women and teaching Sunday school in the early grades. I've had 1-2nd graders and they are so much fun and a delight. There is never a dull moment, especially with the little boys who seem to be a different breed from the girls at that age. I still love to be in the garden most of spring and summer and my real joy is creating hanging baskets and large pots of flower combinations. Tom hasn't slowed down too much as he continues to work with jr. high and high school kids thru Young Life ministry, something he's done for the past 30 years. He's never happier than when he's out on the water in his wakeboard boat with a full load of kids on a sunny summer day. I've always said I really have 4 kids because Tom is my first one!! Our beautiful 22 year old goddaughter has lived with us the past 3 years so you can't call us empty nesters yet!
As I read back thru my profile the word STILL keeps popping up. I guess Tom and I have continued to do those things that bring us much joy and fulfillment and that the Lord has put on our hearts. Most important though is Tom and I have been married 45 years and are STILL best friends and sweethearts. We have been very blessed!!

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