Magdalen Bethany Newhouse

Magdalen Bethany Newhouse, 66, of Stillwater, Minnesota, went to be home with her Lord on May 3, 2020. She died peacefully in her sleep and awoke in the presence of Jesus.

Magdalen "Bethany" Newhouse was born March 23rd, 1954 along with her twin sister, Margaret, in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of the late Raul and Margaret Cuellar. She was the third born of eight children. On September 5, 1976, she married Robert Newhouse in Lima, Peru.

"Maggie" was raised in Dallas, Texas, and moved with her family to Denver, Colorado in 1971. She loved taking trips to the mountains and loved to travel. Her life was forever changed when she read letters from her brother Ralph, who wrote to her from Afghanistan about the peace and joy he had found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. She too surrendered her life to Jesus and made Him her Lord and Savior at the age of 18. That same year, she hitchhiked to New York with her friend and flew to Amsterdam en route to Afghanistan to meet up with her brother. She stayed with Christians she met in Amsterdam, took the name "Bethany" as her middle name, and for the next 7 years, she was on a mission to tell the world about Jesus, her Savior.

Bethany was trained as a Montessori teacher and taught in schools in Italy. While in Italy, she first met her future husband Robert. She was then invited to go to Iran and worked with the Shah of Iran's wife setting up a Montessori school. Later, she had to flee for her life from Iran to Afghanistan when Muslim extremists toppled the country. She was then invited to help start a Montessori school in Peru. On her way there, the boat stopped in Marseilles, France where Robert got on board. Without either of them knowing, he had also been invited to work in that same school. They fell in love once again, were married, and had their first child, Jonathon, while living in Peru.

They left Peru in 1978 with their new family and lived in California where she had her second child, Jeremy. In 1979 they moved to Minnesota to live near Bob's family, where three more children were born: Sarah, Marija, and Joseph. She always described this last move as "her greatest step of faith"- because growing up in Dallas, she was convinced that only Eskimos lived in Minnesota.

With her experience in education, Bethany was selected to be on Governor Rudy Perpich's education taskforce to help write a compulsory education law of Minnesota, that would legalize the new form of education called "homeschooling". This twelve-person taskforce, led by Commissioner of Education, Ruth Randall, crafted one of the nation's first education laws legalizing home education in 1987. She also helped start the TEACH Institute, the first accrediting home school organization in the country, that employed certified teachers to work with the parents to verify/assist in home education. 

She personally home-schooled all five of her children, from K -12th grade, and was actively participating in homeschooling her grandchildren - who were the joy of her life! She loved making the yearly visits to see her side of the family in Denver, Colorado who she loved so much. She was a great cook and her dinner table was always open for guests - who quickly became like family. Bethany will always be remembered for how she selflessly served and prayed for others and opened her home to one and all. She has now entered her eternal home with her Savior. Her greatest wish would be to see you there again.

Magdalen Bethany Newhouse is survived by her husband Robert, her five children: Jonathon (Michelle), Jeremy (Jessica), Sarah (Chad), Marija (Evan), Joseph, as well as her siblings: Ralph, Carlos, identical twin Margaret, Rachel, Gabriel, Louis, and Richard. She was a loving grandmother to her twelve grandchildren: Jude, Jacob, Orion, Evangeline, Finneas, Oscar, Margaret, Selah, Josaphine, Gabriella, Keziah, and Winston. We are all going to miss her immensely.

In lieu of flowers... please consider a tax-deductible donation to:

1. The "Bethany Newhouse Memorial Scholarship Fund" with the non-profit education organization, T.E.A.C.H., she helped found: www.teachinstitute.org

2. Memorial donations may also be sent online to the "Matter Education Fund": www.matter.ngo/donate-now (Her sons, Jeremy and Joseph, work with this NGO that helps establish and support medical clinics and innovative schools in Africa and other third-world countries)

Also, please take a moment to write a Tribute at the bottom of this page or upload a photo of Bethany to share. This would be so meaningful to her grandchildren to see photos and read about the friends and loved ones their grandma impacted during her life. Thank you!

The date for a memorial service will be forthcoming.