It took less than six months for Beth Howard to make every one of us at WordsFresh feel like we were her best friend.
When you work in a small company, you become remarkably close to your coworkers within weeks rather than years.
So we were all stunned when our company’s president called an emergency meeting today to tell us Beth had died suddenly this past Friday evening, just before walking out the door with her family for dinner. She had paused a moment before leaving, maybe to reapply lipstick.
Her red lips and red hair made Beth instantly memorable, but her personality was just as colorful.
Beth was a writer, and we want to share some words from the emails, texts and chat messages she sent us that had made us especially happy:
- “Well, dip me in butter and call me a biscuit.”
- “I once read…’Be decisive. The world is full of flat squirrels who couldn’t get out of the road in time.”
- “I call upon the powers of Don Draper to cut through all the clutter, free our minds and find everlasting process-related creative peace.”
- “Get out your badass accessories.”
- “It’s all water off a duck’s ass.”
- “Hardest thing about this week? Not spiking my coffee with Irish Cream.”
- “My optimism and faith have been restored and it’s an honor and absolute blast to be on this journey with you.”
- “Peggy stays cool. Peggy knows she’s got it going on. Be like Peggy.” (That’s Peggy Olson, from Mad Men, of course.)
- {Beth also told me once she appreciated my insight, saying, “As usual, I feel smarter after being around you!” Although now I think she might have meant that she felt like a genius compared to me. -Holly}
Last week, Beth was the first on our team to reach out with concern to our clients who have ties to Ukraine.
She had also been working on local projects that relied on her experience in the field of inclusion and belonging. Meanwhile, Beth had also been mentoring some of our younger coworkers, reassuring them how much they belonged, too.
At the end of today’s meeting, one of our directors reminded us all, “Be extra kind to everyone.”
Beth always was.
If you’d like to remember Beth with a donation, her family asks that you make those to Louisville Public Media or Kentucky Wesleyan College.
It took less than six months for Beth Howard to make every one of us at WordsFresh feel like we were her best friend.
When you work in a small company, you become remarkably close to your coworkers within weeks rather than years.
So we were all stunned when our company’s president called an emergency meeting today to tell us Beth had died suddenly this past Friday evening, just before walking out the door with her family for dinner. She had paused a moment before leaving, maybe to reapply lipstick.
Her red lips and red hair made Beth instantly memorable, but her personality was just as colorful.
Beth was a writer, and we want to share some words from the emails, texts and chat messages she sent us that had made us especially happy:
- “Well, dip me in butter and call me a biscuit.”
- “I once read…’Be decisive. The world is full of flat squirrels who couldn’t get out of the road in time.”
- “I call upon the powers of Don Draper to cut through all the clutter, free our minds and find everlasting process-related creative peace.”
- “Get out your badass accessories.”
- “It’s all water off a duck’s ass.”
- “Hardest thing about this week? Not spiking my coffee with Irish Cream.”
- “My optimism and faith have been restored and it’s an honor and absolute blast to be on this journey with you.”
- “Peggy stays cool. Peggy knows she’s got it going on. Be like Peggy.” (That’s Peggy Olson, from Mad Men, of course.)
- {Beth also told me once she appreciated my insight, saying, “As usual, I feel smarter after being around you!” Although now I think she might have meant that she felt like a genius compared to me. -Holly}
Last week, Beth was the first on our team to reach out with concern to our clients who have ties to Ukraine.
She had also been working on local projects that relied on her experience in the field of inclusion and belonging. Meanwhile, Beth had also been mentoring some of our younger coworkers, reassuring them how much they belonged, too.
At the end of today’s meeting, one of our directors reminded us all, “Be extra kind to everyone.”
Beth always was.
If you’d like to remember Beth with a donation, her family asks that you make those to Louisville Public Media or Kentucky Wesleyan College.
