At the age of 95 1/2, Dorothy Jeanne Beck Hubbard peacefully passed from this life to eternal life with Jesus Christ, her Lord, with her family at her bedside on May 19, 2010.

Dorothy was born on Nov. 25, 1914, in Centralia, Missouri to Earle and Erma Early. Her family moved to Long Beach, Calif., during the Great Depression in 1930, when mom was 15, where she attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

She met the Love of her life," George beck, Jr., who swept her off her feet at a church social and they married on August 8, 1937. Beginning in 1939, mom and dad had a daughter every four or so years, being finally blessed, and delightfully surprised, with the birth of fifth child, a son, in 1953. Living in the San Fernando Valley in the 50's and 60's life seemed to be idyllic and care free until the sudden death of our dad on Sept. 7, 1966.

Having been a stay-at-home-mom all her married years (29 to be exact), our mom found herself faced with having to go back to work to support herself and her two children (13 and 15) still at home. At this point in time, her third daughter came back home to live while her husband was serving in Viet Nam, while her two oldest daughters were busy raising their families. Mom rebounded and, for the next 19 years, was secretary at Valley Park Baptist church in Sepulveda, Calif.

After her retirement, mom married long time friend, Merrill ("Bud") Hubbard, her "lovable companion". They enjoyed 14 years of marriage, fun and travel, while living in Oxnard, Calif., and were active members at Oxnard First Baptist Church until Bud's death on Sept. 7, 2001, the exact day our dad passed away 35 years prior.

Until mom's vision began to fail, she was an avid reader, typically devouring two to three books a month and she worked at least two crossword puzzles daily. She had such a keen mind, a musical ability and was quite a dancer. Mom enjoyed watching basketball (she even played the game in high school!) and on Sundays she could often be found watching a golf tournament on TV, which she was doing just three days before she passed away. There was not a day that passed without hearing, "I love you," from our mom. She treasured every one of her family members and was looking forward to the birth of 17th great-grandchild on June 17.

Often referred to as the "Energizer Bunny", our mom's resiliency and perseverance were only two of her many amazing qualities. She possessed the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control." She was a woman of faith, dignity, grace and incredible tenacity. That's why she lived until the age of 95 1/2!

Mom was preceded in death by her parents, Erma and Earle Early, her brother, Raymond Early, and her husbands, George Beck, Jr., and Bud Hubbard.

Left to cherish her legacy of selfless love are her sister, Betty Ewin, her children, Linda and Tom Kendall, Donna and Gary Ericson, Karen and Bill Hicks, Debra and Larry Woodburn, and Greg Beck, and stepchildren, Sharon Monet and Dr. Merrill ("Bud") Hubbard, 13 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Atria Hillcrest in Thousand Oaks, where our mom enjoyed five wonderful years of comfort and content, and both staffs at Westlake and Thousand Oaks Health Care Centers. We are also extremely grateful for the compassion mom received from the staff at Los Robles Hospital Emergency Room right up until she took her last breath. Mom was blessed to have Dr. Carl Jonokuchi as her primary care physician for the last eight years and we thank him for his excellent care.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Ventura County Rescue Mission or Feed the Children would be greatly appreciated.