Our beautiful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Beatrice Mary Albert (Pedretti), 91 years young, passed away peacefully with her much loved and grateful children by her side on August 15, 2014 (Feast of the Assumption) in Olympia, Washington. Beatrice (Bea) was born in Genoa, Wisconsin to Stephen and Mary Ursula Pedretti. She was the youngest of eight children and, even though her mother passed away when she was five years old, the memories she had of a loving farm family were wonderful. After graduating from St. Charles Borromeo Grade School in Genoa, Beatrice attended Aquinas High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She quickly distinguished herself in creative writing skills, especially in the area of poetry. Just after the start of her junior year, Beatrice's father took ill and she returned to Genoa to care for him and transferred to Lansing High School just across the Mississippi river in Lansing, Iowa. Upon graduation from high school, Beatrice attended the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. Beatrice earned a Bachelor of Arts degree that eventually allowed her to pursue her love of teaching. Beatrice married William (Bill) Albert on June 17, 1946. This was the start of a caring, loving partnership that lasted over 60 years. Beatrice and Bill lived in Ames, Iowa while he finished his college education at Iowa State and where the first of their eight children was born. Beatrice enjoyed a successful teaching career that included Saint Joseph Grade School in Downers Grove, Illinois, Christ the King Grade School in Richland, Washington, working with special needs children in the San Francisco Bay Area, and teaching in Vietnamese refugee camps in the Philippines, before retiring with Bill in Olympia, Washington. She dearly loved her students and could name almost all of them by memory. Beatrice enjoyed family gatherings/reunions, RVing, sewing, making beautiful quilts, writing cards and letters, taking long walks, creating beautiful photo albums with photos taken by Bill, and giving all of her family equal, special attention. She had a deep faith in God rooted in her Catholic faith. Beatrice was the very best wife, mother, grandparent that any family could ever have and she was loved by everyone who ever crossed her path. She loved her family, relatives, friends and her God deeply and unfailingly and we will always be blessed with that memory. Beatrice was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill, her parents, her sisters, Elizabeth (Jake) Curti and Magdalene (Harold) Jambois, her brothers, Steven (Freda) Pedretti, John (Lorraine) Pedretti, Philip Pedretti, Joseph (Lucy) Pedretti, and Joffre (Lucille) Pedretti, and her brother-in-law, Thomas J. Albert. In addition there are nieces and nephews who have passed on that Beatrice loved very much.

Published in The Olympian on Aug. 24, 2014 [Edited]