Beth Bentley

Beth Nelson is the third child of Art and Betty Nelson. She was born in 1957 in Minot, North Dakota, where she joined her older siblings Penny and Trent. When she was 6 weeks old, her parents moved to Mankato, Minnesota. She spent much of her childhood in Minnesota where her dad was a professor at Mankato State. One of her favorite memories in school was when she got to meet a Minnesota Twins baseball player who happened to be the milk monitor at her school that day. When she was in 6th grade, her father accepted a new job here in Spearfish as the Chairman of the Business Department at Black Hills State University, so they packed up and headed west. She attended Spearfish Public Schools and graduated in 1975 from Spearfish High School. When she was a junior in high school, she played on the very first girls basketball team at Spearfish High School as girls weren’t allowed to play sports until then. When she graduated, her days of being a pioneer for women’s athletics weren’t over. She went on to attend Black Hills State where she majored in elementary education and was on the very first women’s basketball and women’s softball teams at the Black Hills State. Athletics in college not only play a big part of Beth’s past, they were soon to become a catalyst for her future.

It was while attending Black Hills State that she met her future husband Rob Bentley who also played sports. Eventually the two got married and have been married for 46 years! Beth graduated from Black Hills State in 1979. Although her dream job was to become a marine biologist, opportunities for women back then were scarce after college. Her career path eventually led her to a field she was always destined for… teaching. Her mom taught 1st grade for 20 years and both her dad and her sister were also teachers. Together, they were her biggest inspiration. When a job opened up at West Elementary here in Spearfish, she took it and taught there for the next 41 years- retiring 4 years ago. Beth has touched countless lives while teaching kindergarten, 4th grade, coaching basketball, and as a reading specialist where she has fond memories of doing what she loves, helping others. She continues to stay connected to many of her former students and their families. While teaching is Beth’s passion, her pride and joy is her family.

Rob and Beth have 2 grown children- Jaime and Brandon. Jaime followed in her mom’s footsteps and became a standout athlete in high school and college where she played both basketball and golf. She is currently the golf pro at Spearfish Canyon Golf Course, a director and coach for Spearfish Junior. League Basketball, and Assistant Coach for the Spearfish High School Girls Basketball program. Brandon is a Certified Public Accountant and has successfully owned his own business- Bearded Bookkeepers- since 2018. He also followed in his mom’s footsteps and is active in many different organizations in the Spearfish area. He and his wife Elisa are the parents of Beth’s favorite family members- her grandchildren, Banks, Sadie, and Henry. Now that she is retired, Beth is busier than ever. For one, she is an avid sports fan and can be seen at many Spearfish sporting events where she is one of the Spartans biggest fans. However, nothing compares to her passion for her beloved Chicago Cubs baseball team.

You can often find her and her family decked out in Cubs gear cheering on their favorite team! She is also an active member of various community organizations including the Spearfish Tennis Association, the Spearfish Kindness Committee, various committees at her church, and Clothe a Kid. She is also on the Board of Directors for Children First as well as a Sunday School teacher at her church.

Volunteering and giving back to her community are the most important lessons Beth has taught our class. Her most precious activity, though, is spending time with her grandchildren. From doing crafts, going for bike rides, having special suppers, to reading to her grandson’s first grade classroom, Beth Bentley’s favorite job is being a grandma. She hopes that her grandchildren will always look back on their time together with big smiles knowing how much they are loved. Beth has given a lot to many people in Spearfish, and she continues to help whenever there is a need. Her biggest piece of advice is to be kind, and she demonstrates that every day, not only by what she does for our community, but by what she does for her friends, her neighbors, her church, and above all her family. Thank you, Beth, for being such a great inspiration to all of us.