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Cancer claims RRPS's Beth Pendergrass
This picture of Beth Pendergrass was posted with “her” final Facebook post Saturday morning.
RIO RANCHO — The City of Vision lost an important member of its community on Friday the 13th when longtime Rio Rancho Public Schools Chief Communications Officer Beth Bagwell Pendergrass finally lost her battle with cancer.
Pendergrass learned in 2018 she had breast cancer. Then just 38 — a few years younger than a typical breast cancer victim hears that dour news — she was determined to beat it.
The almost-daily Facebook poster had one of her happiest days in August 2020, when she told her Facebook friends — more than 1,000 — that “I’m home from surgery and all went well. I AM OFFICIALLY DONE! I took a beating, but I KICKED CANCER’S ASS.”
But the “Big C” doesn’t care about diagnoses; Pendergrass got it again.
Somehow, she managed to keep smiling through all the pain and chemo, telling all on a July 18, 2024, Facebook post, she intended to “find one good thing every day,” and that day it was her scarf.
Last October, she lamented having to leave her job with RRPS.
On Dec. 31, 2024, she told her Facebook family she was losing her fight: “I’m currently on palliative care, which means that treatment is no longer about changing the outcome of my cancer — it’s terminal. Instead, I’m focusing on quality of life and managing symptoms for comfort. The cancer continues to progress in my chest wall, skin, and lungs.”
On Feb. 26 of this year, she posted on Facebook, “I am dying of cancer, and yet the world keeps moving on without me.” That said, countless people were “with” her.
I sat with her at a local Flying Star in early March of this year to catch up with “things.” I had been retired from the Observer since May 31, 2024, and she had left RRPS to live out the rest of her life at home. An in-and-out life with hospitals wasn’t the way she wanted to go.
She was tired of trying to feel better after treatment and told me she didn’t think she’d see New Year 2026. I had a feeling then that I might be asked to commemorate her life in print someday, and I had requested one of her small paintings — yeah, she added that hobby to her life — that would always connect us.
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Her prediction was right: The end came shortly after many of her family members had visited her to jointly celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween, her favorite holiday of all. She admitted to being addicted to Halloween.
Somehow, she managed to smile when she could and keep her “peeps” aware she was still around. Everyone who knew Pendergrass realized her time on Earth was limited.
In mid-April, she received certificates from the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate for her work in Rio Rancho Public Schools, the community and her outreach for breast cancer. That came only a few days before she received an “Inspiration Award” form the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce.
She knew she probably only had a matter of days before her time here was over. On May 16, she posted, “I’m officially transitioning from palliative care to hospice care. From this point forward, all of my care will take place in the comfort of my home. If symptoms become too difficult to manage here, I’ll move into the hospice center. This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s time. No more emergency rooms. No more hospital stays. My body is tired, and both the cancer and recurring infections have taken their toll.”
Twenty-eight days later, her husband, Jamie Pendergrass, followed one of her final wishes and posted on Facebook, “Goodbye dear friends and family … It has been one hell of a journey, and I couldn’t have done it without you all. You have been my greatest support, offering me words of encouragement through all my ups and downs. I always read every comment and gained so much strength from your words. Please take comfort in knowing I am in a beautiful place and without pain and suffering. I hope that I showed you that it is possible to find the positive even in difficult times. I hope I showed you what strength and resilience looks like. I hope I always treated you with kindness. I hope that you know the importance of enjoying every moment — even the small ones. I hope you tell your family you love them and forgive small grievances. I hope you enjoy the sunrise and sunset. I hope you dance in the rain. I hope you make mistakes and learn from them. I hope that you love deeply — love your friends and family. Love your spouse or partner. Love your life — every single, crazy moment — the successes and failures, the adventures and the setbacks, the highs and the lows. I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my beautiful life.”
Yes, she was a person who loved life, even though she was unfairly short-changed. She had lovely, piercing eyes, was quick to smile and loved to laugh.
“I loved her humor,” longtime RRPS administrator Patricia Di Vasto, who had served with Pendergrass on the district’s Hall of Honor selection committee. “She was also the voice of reason.”
“She will be greatly, greatly missed for many reasons,” said Renee Saucedo, Chief School Improvement Officer/Secondary, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer and said Beth kept her going. “Just like every person in the district and anyone who knew Beth, I am just heartbroken. She made a huge impact on the district, and she did that both professionally and through her cancer battle
“She walked with me every step of the journey through the breast cancer battle,” Saucedo said, “and she did that with so many different people. She was always there to support them and always happy, and she had such a positive attitude, even with everything she went through.”
“Beth Pendergrass was a wonderful colleague and staff member of RRPS. Every project she undertook for RRPS and the larger community was always better than it was previously. She was always forward-thinking,” said RRPS Superintendent Dr. Sue Cleveland. “Beth made a persuasive case for supporting public schools and children. We will miss her terribly, but she leaves behind an important legacy of caring and action. She will never be forgotten by those whose lives were touched by hers.”
Wyndham Kemsley, who worked closely with Pendergrass and, after she left RRPS, became the interim executive director for Communications, said she was “a venerable figure, not only within (RRPS), but throughout both local and nationwide circles.
“Her work is inspiring, and her positive personality made her a friend and ally to many, myself included,” he added.
“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Beth Pendergrass, a beloved member of the Rio Rancho community,” Mayor Gregg Hull said. “Beth was known for her courage, strength and unwavering spirit as she faced the tremendous challenge of cancer. She was truly an inspiration to all who knew her — demonstrating grace, resilience, and hope even in the most difficult of times.
“Beth’s legacy will live on in the hearts of our community. Her impact was profound, and her example reminds us of the power of perseverance and compassion,” he added.
“Beth was one of the strongest, most courageous people I’ve ever known,” added Amanda Galbraith, president of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education. “I’ll never forget the moment in a meeting when, mid-discussion, she pulled off her wig to make a point, completely unafraid, full of conviction and grace.”
Indeed, Pendergrass also loved her hair, naturally preferring her real hair, which she lost during treatment.
“She had a way of saying the right thing and exactly the right time,” Galbraith continued. “I often turned to her for guidance and I deeply admired her. She loved her family fiercely, and my heart goes out to them.”
To fully understand Pendergrass’s journey, be sure to visit her Facebook page (Beth Bagwell Pendergrass), where her final post was made June 9, just four days before her passing.
No newspaper story can more accurately depict her legacy.
