Foothills Sentry Page 10 DECEMBER 2025 Marjorie Beth Newell died in California on November 4, 2025. She was 81. She lived her life with love, joy and family. Her journey took her from the open farmland of Illinois to Seattle, London and Chicago before settling in her much-loved canyon in California. Marjorie Beth Rittenhouse was the middle child in a close family of five children. Her parents were Floyd and Dorothy Rittenhouse. Growing up on her family farm, she learned crop rotation, large livestock care, and the marketing of produce and fresh eggs in addition to cooking and baking skills. She also learned the values of life in big family and a small community. Years of voice and piano study led her to perform in numerous choral groups. She attended Southern Methodist University and the University of Illinois, and she put her education degree to work teaching elementary school in Illinois and Washington. On a very hot Illinois day in 1966, she was married to Bruce Newell, and they began their 59-year-long adventure together by moving to Seattle, where she worked as a teacher and he as an apprentice architect. Her thirdgrade students loved their well prepared, pretty, young teacher and were impressed by her dedication, teaching while wearing a cast from a snow skiing incident. An adventurer at heart, she eagerly packed a suitcase in 1968 for a move to London where she worked for an American bank, traveled and started her family with the birth of daughter Lindsay. The young family of three returned to Chicago in 1970 where they were able to travel, visit their families and become a family of four with the birth of a son, Birkin. Never fearing change or distance, Beth moved to southern California in 1974 where her architect husband was offered a work opportunity. Here they soon discovered a somewhat remote canyon named for an early resident, Helena Modjeska, and moved there in 1977. Here she gave birth to sons David and Edward. While her husband was off working or fighting fires as a volunteer firefighter, she did all the hard work of caring for a family of six. Always the teacher, she insisted on perfect attendance, and drove endless miles in her Volkswagen to many lessons and activities. While doing that she taught piano lessons in her home for the canyon children. When a major fire threatened their canyon in 2007, Beth was proud of her men: all three sons and her husband were firefighters working on the fire lines. Finding interest and inspiration from a neighbor from an earlier era, Helena Modjeska, a Polish Shakespearean actress in the later 1800s, she became a docent at Modjeska’s home “Arden.” Making this place her home for nearly 50 years, she became a student of all things Modjeska, a docent in her landmark home, and a board member of the Helena Modjeska Foundation where her prompt meeting minutes earned praise. She wrote The Friends of Arden docent newsletter from 2009 to 2019, each month relating some well researched incident from the life of H.M. In 2010 she received the Ellen K. Lee Award from the Foundation for her service. She also received the United States President’s Volunteer Service Award. Beth will be remembered by all as a fierce defender of her children, proud grandmother of six, an accurate historian, and an educator. But all who knew her will Beth Newell 1944-2025 remember a sweet and gracious woman of grace and charm. In lieu of flowers consider making a donation to the Helena Modjeska Foundation at helenamodjeska.org. * * * * * A further reflection by Sarah Sarkissian... Beth Newell is gone and we are still here, so we have to keep her in the ways we can. Beth loved Bruce. She loved Lindsay, Birkin, David and Edward, and their children. We still have them to remember her by. She loved the canyon and creek, and walked it daily as long as she could. She was proud when she was able to make sure the hill above her own hidden home would always remain unchanged. Some might have chosen travel or excitement. Beth chose a steep hill covered in gray-blue ceanothus. We know how she loved Arden, Madame Helena, the Count and their gardens and home. And Shakespeare, of course. Beth loved music and teaching music. She wore pearls to every lesson, even for her single last pupil. If we are especially lucky, we can remember walking the canyon in days leading up to her recitals, the pianos sounding in houses where young musicians were getting ready to perform. Years later, Beth could still remember which child had loved which piece, which composers were their favorites. Those children, now adults, will always have the beauty she helped them create. No one forgets that. So dear Beth, at our last lesson you said you had to cancel the coming week because of a doctor visit and you needed to be brave. I’m sure you were brave. Now we get to be brave too. “Elvis Takes the Stage” at Celebrity speaker series Scott Bruce, an Elvis Presley tribute singer, will appear at the Celebrity Speaker Series of the Crescendo Guild of Segerstrom Center, Thursday, Jan. 15. A top Elvis impersonator, Scott Bruce has performed with the Jordinaires, Elvis’ original backup singers, appeared in music videos with Faith Hill and Sheryl Crow, and on "Days of our Lives" and the "Bold and the Beautiful." On "True Hollywood Story: Elvis in Hollywood" on E!, Bruce played Elvis in the recreating scenes. Tickets are $45. Bowers members may buy a ticket for $35. For tickets, contact Barbara Hagan, (714) 272-1134 or crescendoticketsbowers@gmail.com. Reserved tickets and additional tickets may be paid for at the door. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the Bowers Museum Norma Kershaw Auditorium, 2002 N. Main Street. Parking is $7 cash at the museum. The Guilds of Segerstrom, including the Crescendo Guild, raise funds to support the Center’s community engagement and arts education programs. Vox Populi heard in Modjeska Canyon By Andrew Tonkovich The recent Modjeska Canyon sign wars over Proposition 50, ethical civic engagement, and perhaps democracy itself developed, finally, into populist whimsy in the final days before the election. After the posting of weirdly confusing "No on 50" messaging resembling ransom notes, further thefts of "Yes on 50" posters, and righteous community backlash came the spooflash, with bespoke signs on unlikely themes posted in response to the proxy political debate. Arriving first was an unshy celebration of intimacy, then an Old Testament commentary, and, in following days, a stoner meme, a police code, and a numerological (or perhaps alcohol) reference. The people have spoken, and drawn, and they are democracy-loving, fun-loving and funny! Photos by Leo Hetzl & Andrew Tonkovich Family. Friends. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1801073 Ron Esparza, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C79663 827 S. Tustin Ave Orange, CA 92866 Bus: 714-505-3400 ron@ronesparza.com
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