Jewel and Ron Lansing were important community members who lived up Garden Home Road. Jewel was elected as the Auditor for Multnomah County and City of Portland in the 1970s and 1980s. Her obituary shares many of her achievements and interests. See our story on Ron and Jewel Lansing.

May 13, 1930 to April 10, 2024

Jewel Beck Lansing passed away peacefully with family by her side on April 10, 2024. She was 93.

Most people knew the professional Jewel Lansing who built a strong list of accomplishments during her career in public accounting, politics, leadership, book writing, and women’s rights. She lived an exceptional life.

Many do not know of her origin as a farm girl, born and raised at the foothills of the Mission Range in Montana. This is where she learned her independence, resourcefulness, work ethic, and deep inner strength.

She is the last of her early nuclear family. Her parents Lars and Julia Beck (nee Syla); and five siblings Clifford Beck, Johnny Beck, Frances Shipman, Margaret Davies, and Sherry Sadler, all passed before her.

She graduated with honors from the University of Montana in 1952 studying Journalism and Business. Then after graduation she moved to Wash., D.C., on her own to work for the CIA, before relocating to California to go to graduate school at Stanford University in Education and Counseling.

In 1954, she was hired by the Army Special Services and sent to Germany to manage army service clubs. While there she saved enough to buy her first car, a red VW Bug she named “Mook”. And it’s here that she met and married her husband of 65 years Ronald B Lansing, then a Corporal in the Army. Shortly thereafter they transferred back to the United States, where they had three children. Jewel taught junior high, went to correspondence school in accounting, became a CPA, opened her own business, was president of the West Hills Unitarian Fellowship, all before her first run for public office in 1974.

Jewel was elected and served as Multnomah County Auditor in the 1970s and Portland City Auditor in the 1980s, introducing performance auditing to these local governments. During the 1990s and 2000s, she wrote eight books, including Portland: People, Politics and Power, which is considered the definitive book of Portland’s civic history.
Throughout these years she: co-founded WINPAC (Women’s Investment Network), was a board member of the League of Women Voters, belonged to the Oregon Historical Society for decades, honed her speaking chops at Toastmasters, and was part of the force that opened Portland City Club membership to women. This is only a small, partial listing of her memberships, sponsorships, and endeavors.

Jewel had a powerful intellect, and she fought for women’s rights because she hated being trapped by expectations and held back from possibilities. When she put her mind to something, she did it, from becoming a CPA to publishing books, from quitting sugar (which she did for a good 30 years) to traveling alone to foreign destinations such as Russia, the Czech Republic, and Okinawa. Her life is a testament to her determination, persistence, and bravery.

Jewel was a competitor, which you could see when she ran for public office and played card games of all kinds, including poker. She was a naturalist, who loved canoeing, hiking, and conservation. And, she was a contributor, generously supporting friends’ endeavors, backing worthy causes, and defending civil liberties.

She is survived by her three children Mark Lansing (Grants Pass), Alyse Lansing Gass (and husband Joe, Scappoose), Annette Lansing (Beaverton); and five grandchildren Tyler, Jade, Emily, Matt and Shan.

There will be a memorial service and Celebration of Life for Jewel which is open to family, friends, and supporters. It will be held on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the West Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Portland, Ore. The doors will open at 2 p.m., and the memorial will start at about 2:30 p.m. If you know in advance that you are coming, please RSVP to JewelBeckLansing@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations can be made “In Memory of Jewel Beck Lansing” to either: WIN-PAC (https://www.oregonwinpac.com/contribute) or Oregon Historical Society (https://www.ohs.org/support/index.cfm).