Beatrice Crosby Booth – known as Trice – died at home of complications of dementia on June 8, 2021. She was a loving wife, devoted mother and enthusiastic grandmother. She is deeply missed by her husband of sixty years T. William Booth; her children and their spouses: Missi (Tim) Goss of Bainbridge Island, WA; Stina Booth (John Richardson) of Twisp, WA; and George Booth (Christina Knutson) of Boise, ID; and her grandchildren Amanda, Lena and Lydia Goss and Ryder and Flint Booth. She also leaves her siblings Chris Crosby of Denver, Richard Crosby of Minneapolis, and Harriett Crosby of Washington, DC.
Trice was born on August 29, 1938 to George C. Crosby and Beatrice Wells Crosby in Minneapolis. She spent of her childhood near the lakes of Minnesota where she loved to read and ice skate. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1960, received her MA in Teaching from Harvard in 1962, and a MS in Oceanography from the University of Washington in 1967.
Trice devoted her life to her family and her scientific research. She juggled these twin commitments with grace and dedication. Her three children were born in the midst of graduate school and post-graduate research. Over the course of her 30+ year career she co-authored many papers in her field of deep ocean plankton population studies. Her work culminated in identifying a new order of phyto plankton which she named Parmales, because of their round structures that looked like shields. She continued to support UW oceanography, establishing scholarships and fellowships, and in helping to fund the R/V Rachel Carson.
Throughout her life, Trice was an avid naturalist and outdoors woman. Whenever she sat outdoors for more than a moment, she kept a list of observed plants, or birds, or mushrooms, whatever would have piqued her curiosity. She retired from academic research in 2004, and turned her attention to various conservation projects. She served on the board of the Washington Audubon Society and was a founding member of the Seward Park Audubon Center in Seattle.
Trice was an intrepid gardener, hiker, skier and birdwatcher. Yearly backpacking trips in the Cascades, backcountry ski trips in Canada, and international travel, bird watching or fishing, were a delight.
Trice was a life long musician, playing flute guitar and recorder. She sang with Medieval Women’s Choir in the 80’s and 90’s. In her last years, she found great joy in playing her baroque flute.
A celebration of Trice’s life will be held on August 29 at 3:00 at the Bainbridge Rowing boathouse in Waterfront Park by RSVP to missigoss@gmail.com.
