SERVICES:
11am • Private family gathering in sanctuary
Noon • Funeral Service in sanctuary
(Service open to family and church and community friends who knew Beulah.)
Early afternoon • Funeral service at JCC will be followed by private graveside service for family in Chocorua, NH.
BIOGRAPHY: The family shares this biography.
Beulah Viola Jodrie was born on March 21, 1921 in Alton Bay, New Hampshire, at the southern tip of Lake Winnipesaukee. Her mother was Irish catholic living in Boston when she first met Beulah’s father, who was a true Yankee woodsman. He was working as a chauffeur, and kept his long hair hidden under his cap. They fell in love and eloped.
Beulah was one of 9 children and was extremely close to her siblings and parents but in particular her father, who became a White Mountain guide. They had many adventures together probably the most important for Beulah were the hikes in the White Mountains. Other than her girls, she came to love the mountains more than anything else. She felt free in the hills and taught her girls to enjoy the outdoors and mountains too. She would hike whenever she could, even as she aged, never able to give up the quest of just “one more time.” She often hiked alone, with just water and a couple of oranges! She didn’t need anything else, except to move forward on the trail… to reach the summit; whether Mt. Chocorua or Mt Washington.
Beulah was a scholar, although, in her timidity would never admit it. She was an avid and voracious reader from very early on and never gave up her love for books. She excelled academically, never receiving a grade lower than an A; and was the Valedictorian of her high school class. From there she went on to the Conservatory of Music in Boston, studying the violin for two years. After realizing she didn’t care to be in the spotlight on stage she left the Conservatory and moved to be closer to her then love, Bob Jodrie, when she enrolled in a nursing school in Gardiner, Mass. Shortly thereafter, realizing she and Bob did not want to be separated she moved to Fitchburg to be closer to him. They married shortly thereafter and began their family. Daughters Sharon and Gretchen were born in Fitchburg. A short time thereafter they moved to RI where a new adventure started for Beulah. She had two more daughters, Jennifer and Melissa. At the age of 40 she decided she wanted to continue her education and enrolled at Barrington College where she received her BA in literature; then enrolled at Brown University where she received her Masters. After getting her Masters, Brown offered her a teaching position, teaching American Literature – her favorite authors were William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. These writers touched her soul and she wanted to give their message to her students – which she did with the utmost sensitivity and earnestness. They adored her for that.
Beulah moved back home to Madison, New Hampshire after retiring to care for her husband, Bob, until his passing in 1998. She lived independently until 2017 when she moved to Merriman House for support. She will be deeply missed by her family and all who knew her.