Obituary of Beatrice Luise Cadeaux

Beatrice Luise Cadeaux (nee Westendorf) passed away peacefully at her assisted living residence in Rocklin, California on November 29, 2020 at the age of 94. Beatrice moved to Rocklin to be closer to family members after living in her home in Santa Cruz from 1976 to 2017.

Beatrice was born on November 12, 1926 in Mt. Angel, Oregon. She grew up on a farm, the oldest of four children. Her parents grew hops and Beatrice assisted with the chores on the farm and also helped raise her two youngest siblings, who were 18 and 16 years younger. Beatrice attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, where she initially studied pre-med, with the hope of entering medical school. Consistent with some of the sexist attitudes of the era, she was advised to become a teacher after receiving a C grade in Chemistry. She graduated with a B.S. in Education.

After a short stint teaching junior and senior high school in Oregon and in South San Francisco, she moved to work for the federal government in Washington, D.C. where she met her future husband, Simon, as she was receiving a coif from his hairdresser brother. After Beatrice and Simon married, they alternated between living on the East and West Coasts, as they raised four children before finally settling in Santa Cruz in 1976.

Beatrice was a loving and involved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She was smart, educated and ambitious. She enjoyed oil painting and completed some exceptional still lifes and landscapes; she also participated in a German singing group in San Jose. She went to graduate school in her 60s and received a Master of Arts degree in Counselor Education from San Jose State.

Although severe arthritis confined her to a wheelchair during the last four years of her life, Beatrice always looked to the future and never gave up hope that she would someday be able to walk and be independent again. During the last eight months of her life, however, Beatrice’s family, like many others, was only able to visit her in brief, socially distanced encounters. This isolation, so prevalent during this pandemic, likely did nothing to ameliorate any emotional and physical decline, as Beatrice thrived on family interaction.

Beatrice is survived by her children, Jack Cadeaux; Lili Luise Cadeaux of Sonora; Yvette Beatrice Cadeaux of Grass Valley; and Juliette Simone North of Santa Cruz. She is survived by her grandchildren, Sampson Cadeaux, Benjamin North, Bradley North, Madeleine North, Camille Cadeaux Collings, Cylisse Cadeaux, and Ezra Abernathy; and her six great grandchildren, Hudson, Grayson, Adriel, Evelynn, and Aliza. She is also survived by her siblings, Adelaide Blair and Astrid Todd of Klamath Falls, Oregon and John Westendorf of Portland, Oregon. Beatrice was predeceased by her husband, Simon Cadeaux and her parents, Luise and Martin Westendorf.

A graveside service will take place at Home of Peace Cemetery on Meder Street in Santa Cruz on Sunday at Noon.