In Loving Memory

Rebecca Lynne Goodhue

Born    June 25th, 1976 -- Des Moines, Iowa

Died    June 3rd, 1999 -- Bellingham, Washington

    Beginning June 25, 1976 in Des Moines, Iowa and ending tragically on June 3, 1999, Rebecca's life was full of energy and excitement.  Rebecca enriched the lives of her family and many friends, who all shared countless wonderful experiences with her.  It's impossible to capture in words her irresistible joie de vivre, expressed by her ready grins and open smiles.

    Rebecca grew up on a farm in rural Carlisle, attended the Ackworth Friends Church, and went to school in Indianola, graduating in 1993 with honors.  While there, she was involved in numerous activities and was recognized for many accomplishments.  Experiences such as her leading role in The Glass Menagerie, state speech contest, and captaining the debate team allowed her to express and share herself with others.  Her involvement in FFA and 4-H provided her many opportunities to meet new people, travel, and challenge herself and achieve new things.  In 4-H she was active in her club and served on the County and State 4-H Councils.  In FFA she was awarded the American FFA Degree, served as South Central District Secretary, was an FFA ambassador to Moldova, and exhibited livestock and other projects at county and state fairs.  She particularly loved her sheep which received three grand championships and two reserve championships at the state fair, her photographs that expressed her view of the world and those within it, and Thursday, her obedience trained basset hound.  Rebecca was the 1993 Warren County Fair Queen and received the Miss Personality Plus award in the 1993 Iowa State Fair Pageant.

    Rebecca attended Iowa State University in Ames where she received a degree in genetics.  At Iowa State, she continued to excel and explore new people and places.  Her involvement as a member of Sigma Kappa sorority was of great importance to her and she made many close and special friends through that involvement.  Rebecca's selfless contributions to her sorority led to her being recognized as her house's most outstanding member.  She actively served on various Veishea Planning committees and was a member of Cardinal Key honorary and the Gamma Sigma Delta honor society.  her studies included a semester abroad at the University of Whales, Swansea, and field trips to Costa Rica and Kenya.

    After graduating in 1997, Rebecca began working full-time at Pioneer Hi-Bred in Johnston, Iowa, where she had previously served as an intern.  At the same time, her ambitions drove her to pursue the study of genetics at Iowa State and she earned a Masters Degree in genetics this spring.  Recently, she had changed positions at Pioneer and was last working in the patent law department.  Rebecca had planned to go to law school.

    Surviving are her parents, Darrell and Eve, her brothers John and Thomas, all of rural Carlisle, her sister, Rachael, of Winters, California, and her grandparents A. John and Margaret Ruggeri of Price, Utah.  Rebecca was especially close to her Uncle Dale and Aunt Peg Goodhue of Carlisle and her cousin Debra Nolte and her family, also of Carlisle.  She was preceded in death by her grandparents, John and Helen Goodhue.  Her love, laughter, ambition, determination and joy will be remembered by all who knew her.