Beth Eacker

Eacker, Beth Halvorsen

Beth Halvorsen Eacker (69) of Oxford Ohio died on September 14, 2024

Beth was born on August 25, 1955 in Sidney Montana as the youngest four girls. Her family raised cattle before opening an insurance agency – where Beth and her sisters loved being featured in the annual calendar.

After graduating from Sidney High School in 1973, she attended the University of Montana in Missoula. She got married and moved to Oxford in 1977 and graduated from Miami University in 1978. While in college, Beth studied Spanish and lived outside of Madrid, and enjoyed telling stories of her time there, including seeing the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

In 1980, she welcomed the birth of her first child, a daughter, Kate. Son Dane was born in 1984 (d. 1985), and son Elliot followed in 1989. What Beth loved most of all was being a mother, and frequently travelled across the country to visit her children and grandchildren. There was no mountain high enough to keep her from spending time with her kids.

Over the years, Beth became a familiar friendly face in Oxford, working at the General Store and Finishing Touches uptown and at Faith Lutheran Church. She was heavily involved in the community, volunteering for Miami University Summer Theater, active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Treasurer for MOON Co-op and Springwood POA for many years.

She earned her MBA from Miami in 1996, an impressive accomplishment as she did this as a single mother and while working full time. She went to work as a Commercial Loan Officer at First Financial Bank in Hamilton; and after she left banking, she worked at The Elms Hotel for 18 years, where she got to see and welcome Oxford residents and visitors alike.

In 2004, Beth married Geoff Eacker of Oxford, celebrating in her backyard with family and friends playing the folk music that she so loved.

Beth had many great talents – including sewing, entertaining and creating fun cards and memorabilia for friends and family. She also loved cooking and attended La Gascony Cookery School in France one summer with good friends. Although, her kids remember being often called to dinner by a smoke alarm rather than a dinner bell...with her smile and sense of humor, Beth often had a twinkling laugh about that.

Beth is preceded in death by her parents, Vita (Jennings) and Haaken "Bud" Halvorsen; her Uncle Joe Halvorsen; and her son, Dane Gale Newton. She is survived by her husband, Geoff Eacker of Oxford; her sisters, Karen Kostner of Tacoma, Margaret (Larry) Hatcher of Minot, ND, and Ruth (Kim) Reineking of Missoula; her children, Kate Glenn of Star, Idaho and Elliot Newton of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is also survived by four grandchildren (Brooke, Isac, Abigail and Emily) and two great-grandchildren (Walter and Matilda); as well as extended family in Germany, and close friends that she referred to fondly as her grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute (www.sids.org) in memory of Dane.

A celebration of life will be held for Beth in Oxford at a later date this fall.