Beatrice "Bee, Bea" (Jensen) Oberlitner

Birth: Born around 1916 in Washington.  

Family Information: Sister of George (Ikey), Chris and Elmer Jensen.

Married to Floyd Oberlitner.

Description: Described by Theodore Cuno as being portly and brunette.  

Pre-Colony History:  

Home in Colony: In 1930 she lived with her brothers in a colony home.

Job in Colony: In 1928-29 she helped out at the Kid Kolony, often taking the children outdoors to play. It was said she "love[d] them all and look[ed] after them as well as any mother." She also often assisted in serving the communal meals at the hotel.

In early 1930 she was the assistant teacher for the first, second and third grades under the direction of Mrs. Norton. These classes were still held at the Kid Kolony in a new school house built for them there.

By June 1930 and into 1931 she was most often helping with meal preparation and sometimes stayed for a week at a time at the Rice Ranch to help with housekeeping there.

In September 1931 she was working at the cannery, under charge of Mrs. Walter Fread, canning pears on shares.

She was part of the regular kitchen crew in October 1931 led by Anna Raicoff and including Mrs. Bonnie Kemp, Mrs. Thelma Perkins, Bea Jensen, Lucille Oberlitner, Mrs. Ruby Fread, Mrs. Bess Shipman, Mrs. Anna Shutt (sic), and Anton Kurtz who was on the pots.

Other Info: Often part of the programs at the theater; she sang second soprano as a senior member of the Glee Club. Often recited original poems (one entitled "Thanksgiving Day at Llano") at the Colony programs and was sometimes referred in the the "Colonist" as the "School Poet".

In April 1928 Miss Wilson was teaching piano classes to several boys and girls in the colony. The Girls' Melody Way Club had had twelve weeks of classes and included Hope and Ruth Shoemaker, Beatrice Jensen, Lynn Rogers, Rhea Mae Baldwin, Irene Hewitt, Vivian and Iris Busick, Mary and Myrtle Gregerson.

In 1929 she sang second soprano as a member of the Senior Glee Club along with Ruth Shoemaker, Blanch Porter, Ruth Kingsbury and Florence Aiton; first sopranos included: Kathleen Bridwell, Zelma De Fausell, Hope Shoemaker and Jennie Black; and alto was sung by: Gertrude Maki, Laura Synoground, Allie Belle Hewitt, Bonnie Enfield and Lois Brattland.

She was a class officer at the high school, serving as one of three on the Social Committee (along with Laura Synoground and Allie Belle Hewitt.)

In July 1930 she visited the Rice Ranch along with Mrs. R.W. Banta, Mrs. Charles Brannon, Ernest Kimball, George Jensen, Sextus Garrett, Laura Synoground, Royall Thompson, Lois Thompson and Hope Shoemaker.

In March 1932, she and Lucille Oberlitner returned to the colony after having left some months previous under "conditions not particularly friendly." Both young ladies apologized at the regular "Psycho" meeting for any unseeming attitude and were liberally applauded.

In August, 1935 she returned alone, though already married to Floyd Oberlitner, to the colony to visit her brothers who were still living here. In September, she and her brother Elmer left the colony en route to Los Angeles, "having departed by the 'heel and toe route.'" By November of that year she had returned, again alone, and expected to remain for some time.  

Post-Colony History: In April of 1936 she left the colony to be with her brother who was ill in Washington.  

Death:  

Sources: Vernon Parish Democrat: February 28, 1929; Llano Colonist: February 4, 1928, April 4, 1928, April 14, 1928, June 30, 1928, July 7, 1928, July 14, 1928, November 3, 1928, December 1, 1928, December 8, 1928, March 16, 1929, April 13, 1929, April 20, 1929, June 2, 1929, June 8, 1929, March 1, 1930, June 7, 1930, July 19, 1930, August 16, 1930, July 18, 1931, September 12, 1931, September 19, 1931, October 17, 1931, March 26, 1932, August 24, 1935, September 21, 1935, November 9, 1935, April 18, 1936; US Census: 1930