Minnie Rebecca Romerill Béguin died peacefully at home in
Plattsburgh, NY on July 8, 2023. Born March 8, 1920 to Golda
and Charles Romerill, she grew up on a family farm near the Ohio
River in Switzerland County, Indiana, with seven siblings. She
outlived them all. As a teenager she felt called to be a missionary.
She didn't know how she would do this, but believed God would
open doors. She went to college to train as a teacher and
received her BA from the Baptist Missionary Training School in
Chicago. Preparing to go to India as a single missionary with the
American Baptist Association, she attended Hartford Seminary in
Hartford, CT. There she met Maurice Béguin, a French-Swiss,
who had come to study for a Master of Divinity. She later enjoyed
telling of the student roller skating outing where they fell for each
other.They were married in May 1946 and had their first daughter,
Beatrice, in 1948. After Maurice received his degree, they went to
Switzerland and France in search of a position they could fill
together. Their son, Victor, was born in Paris.
The Swiss Mission sent them to South Africa in 1950 to serve on
Mission stations with the Tsonga Presbyterian Church in Limpopo
Province and later in Johannesburg. They were the post-war
generation replacing original Swiss founders and tasked with
passing on churches, schools and hospitals to Tsonga leadership
as apartheid laws became more constricting and dividing. They
had two more children, Rebecca Jane and David both born at
Elim Mission Hospital.
They returned to the United States as a family in 1967. Always
planned, this was a hard transition as the children were deeply
rooted in South African identity but which looked to only become
more difficult. Maurice and Minnie worked with American Baptist
Churches in Ohio and New York. Retiring to Waterford NY, he
became a chaplain and Minnie worked as a secretary at the local
hospital. He died in 1987. Minnie moved with Beatrice to Saranac
Lake, NY, in 1987 where she joined the Methodist Church,
volunteered for Hospice, and was active in the community for
seventeen vibrant years. Always wanting to see the world,
besides visiting Switzerland many times with Maurice and after
his death, she travelled to India, the Holy Land, Egypt, Australia,
and New Zealand. At eighty, she made a return trip to South
Africa to visit Black churches and reunite with former Tsonga
colleagues.
An avid gardener, she nurtured flowers wherever she lived,
especially so for her years at Lake Forest Senior Living in
Plattsburgh, getting up early to water and tend the plants. An
accomplished seamstress, she made clothes for the family when
in South Africa and lovely event dresses for her daughters. In her
seventies, she made heirloom quilts. And what a sharp Scrabble
player! Minnie was resilient and ever-compassionate, an anchor
for all who loved her. Her Christian convictions and faith remained
strong to the end of her life.
Minnie is survived by her four children and their families, Beatrice
(Daniel), Victor (Ellen), Rebecca, David (Cindy Lynn). Five
grandsons Aron (Cindy), Alex (Christie), Nyiko (Tiffany), Samouel
(Kristen), Etienne (Shawn). Three great granddaughters
Madeline, Ana, Sierra, and beloved nieces and nephews. Her
family rejoices in her long and faithful life.
Those wishing to make a memorial donation are invited to
consider Hospice of the North Country in Plattsburgh or High
Peaks Hospice in Saranac Lake.