Auction benefits Becky Main fund

RITZVILLE – Dennis Sackmann and local auctioneer Jerry Synder have scheduled a benefit auction to help defray some of the outstanding medical costs incurred by the family of recently-deceased youth group leader Becky Main.

The event, slated for Saturday, June 29, will begin at 6 p.m. at the grade school gymnasium.

It will include a “pay at the door” dinner. The auction is expected to feature wood and fabric crafts, homemade breads and desserts, artwork and other contributions.

Becky Main, longtime youth leader and community organizer, passed away April 22 after struggling for many years with extensive health issues. She was 52 years old.

She and her husband, Rod, moved to this area in September 1992 when Rod began working at the Bill Curtis ranch. He worked there for 14 years, and in July 2006 the family moved into town when Rod accepted a job with Adams County.

Becky and Rod have been tireless contributors to this community. Becky worked at Wheatland Bank and the Washington State University Cooperative Extension. She also staffed the ice cream booth at the community fair, served on the parks and recreation board, and had a seat on the local chamber of commerce.

She and Rod also organized the annual parade for the Ritzville Festivals Association.

But Becky found her greatest passion working with community youth, both in Little Learners preschool classes and in various church groups. Her efforts spanned decades and helped to develop responsible citizens of this community.

Jeffrey Staley, for example, joined the Main’s youth group at the Methodist church starting around age 10. He’s now in his early twenties and works in the area.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I learned a lot. No matter what lesson she was teaching, she always made it fun, but in a learning way.”

Kaiden Bell joined the summer before her seventh-grade year. “I spent many years participating in her programs and having a close relationship with her and Rod,” she said. “Becky had a huge impact on my life. Because of her, I am now helping in the very youth group I grew up in, and I owe it all to her.”

Besides providing immediate financial relief for Rod Main and his family, auction organizers Sackmann and Snyder hope to honor Becky Main’s legacy in the community.

To ensure that auction items are listed in advance of the event, contributors are asked to provide item descriptions as soon as possible.

Contact Dennis Sackmann at 509-770-5182 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, contact Jerry Snyder at 509-660-0851 or email him at [email protected].