Julie Ryan

Sacred beauty is created when every relationship is built on kindness.

Missoula, Montana was my birthplace, and I am the second child of Aart and Nellie Beekman. I

lived my first four years on a small remote farm in the Moiese area of northwestern Montana. In

1950, we sold the farm and moved to the beautiful Flathead Valley in Kalispell, Montana. My

father was employed as a concrete finisher on the Hungry Horse Dam. Growing up in Kalispell

my three siblings were my constant companions and playmates.

Since my dream from 3 rd grade was to become a teacher, upon graduation from Flathead County

High School (FCHS) in 1964 I headed west to Cheney, Washington. I graduated from Eastern

Washington State College (now EWU) in 1968 with a B.A. in Biology and also a B.A. in

Education. This opened the door to 30 years of teaching in three different school districts.

Those districts were on Bainbridge Island and in Othello and Cashmere.

I married the love of my life in 1969 and with my husband Dick Ryan we raised four children in

Cashmere. We also worked together to start three businesses. I played a key role in assisting my

husband in starting two of those businesses, Ryan Construction and Ryan Storage.

Retirement is another chapter in my life with new experiences and opportunities to make this a

better world through relationships with people and all of nature.