The Tubby family home in Bethany has a wall of children’s books that their three boys read over and over again, and that’s only a small percentage of all the books they read.
“My wife, Annie, had boxes and boxes and boxes of children’s books,” says Ron Tubby. “When our boys were little, we would spend hours reading to them. And once they learned to read, they’d pull books off the shelf and just sit and read on their own. Reading has always been a part of their growing up.”
Their three boys are now in college or recently graduated, and before Annie passed away six years ago, Ron and Annie together instilled in them the importance of reading, education and community. Now Ron is continuing what they started together, leading the family in a multigenerational giving endeavor through the creation of an endowed fund at the Beaverton Education Foundation.
The family formed the Anne Kelly Ofstun Tubby Fund at BEF in Annie’s honor a few years ago. Ron, his sons, and Annie’s parents work together to review elementary school literacy projects in the Beaverton School District.
“Annie worked in primary education before we had our boys, working for a preschool in Cedar Mill and then at Raleigh Hills Elementary in the District. Early childhood education was always an interest of hers, so it’s fitting to set up a fund in her memory that’s focused on early childhood reading,” explains Ron. “We chose to establish the memorial fund at BEF because we’ve seen BEF make a tangible, positive impact keeping kids in school and helping their families engage in their children’s learning.”
Ron and Annie first connected with BEF through friends, but their family connection goes back much farther: one of Annie’s uncles was on the BEF board in the organization’s earliest days in the late 1980s. Ron, who works at Intel, joined the BEF board in 2014 and served as board chair at the end of his six years on the board. Now Ron is passing the torch to the next generation. “I’m trying to pique the interest of my three boys so they’ll see the value of community involvement in organizations like BEF and want to stay involved as their careers evolve,” he describes.
Ron and Annie’s sons and Annie’s parents appreciate the opportunity to come together and honor the woman who was such a driving force in their lives. They each value different aspects of working together to recommend the most fitting projects to support.
For Eric, their middle son who’s a junior at Oregon State, he cherishes the opportunity the fund provides for family connections and the community. “It’s rewarding to know that the donations make a real difference and are lifting up elementary students across Beaverton,” he says. Ethan, their eldest son, enjoys helping his family recommend meaningful projects for schools in the Beaverton area.
“We’ve been fortunate in our lives and always had resources available to us and people pushing us to be our best,” says Alex, their youngest son, a sophomore at Oregon State. “It’s important to look and see that some people don’t have those resources or stability to push them to be the best they can be, so it’s important to give others those opportunities. Our family continues to try to live our best lives in memory of my mom, and this fund is one way we’re doing that.”
“Annie was always a very giving person, with her family and others’ well-being foremost in her heart and mind,” say Milford and Marge Ofstun, Annie’s parents. “It is our hope that year after year, awards from the fund will reflect Annie’s dreams. She wanted to make a positive difference in Beaverton children’s lives and be an inspiration to their devoted, hard working teachers, as well as encourage parents in working with their children. As a result, we as a family know Annie’s legacy will live on in the lives of others.”
Pictured above from left to right: Alex, Eric, Annie, Ethan, and Ron Tubby at Cannon Beach in 2015.
