In Othello, an agricultural city in central Washington, three bishops are serving in neighboring wards of the Othello Washington Stake who also happen to be first cousins.
Othello 3rd Ward Bishop Scott J. Harris was called in 2022, then Othello 1st Ward Bishop David K. Beus in 2023, then Othello 2nd Ward Bishop E. Brian Gentry in 2024.
Their parents are siblings and their grandparents are Evan and Alta Beus, who were pioneers in the farming community. But since they have different last names, the cousins don’t believe the stake president even knew they were related when he called them to be bishops.
These bishop cousins are close — almost like brothers.
“We like to go to lunch and just talk about what’s working, what’s not working,” Bishop Gentry said.
Talking to someone having a similar experience is helpful, Bishop Beus said. “To, generally speaking, say: ‘Hey, what’s been hard for you? What’s good for you?’ I always leave feeling better about life after talking to these guys for an hour.”
Bishop Harris added: “And because we are so close, there’s not a lot of apprehension to ask what might be a silly question or a dumb question. It’s nice to be able to ask any question and get some honest feedback from someone we really know well and trust.”
Bishop Gentry said one thing they have worked on as bishops of neighboring wards is to unite Othello a little bit more. The youth know each other as they go to school and seminary, but some of the adults in different wards don’t always see each other. So the cousins have been working with their three wards and the bishop of Othello 4th Ward (Spanish) to hold more events and build more unity.
The 4th Ward’s bishop is Bishop Javier Ramirez, and Bishop Gentry said: “I always felt he’s like a cousin to us. He’s awesome. He really plays a big role in the work here in Othello.”
The whole group of bishops and branch presidents in the stake are close, Bishop Harris said. “We have a wonderful stake.”
Pioneer heritage
The cousins are descendants of Michel and Marianne Combe Beus, who joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of Lorenzo Snow’s mission to Italy. The Beuses were baptized in the Alps region and came to America, where they joined the Ellsworth Handcart Company in 1856 and crossed the Plains. Brigham Young sent them to the Ogden, Utah, area, where they helped establish agriculture and local water resources in Weber County.
Beus Pond and Beus Park in Ogden are where Michel and Marianne Beus dug their original irrigation pond, Bishop Gentry said. Beus Canyon Trail in Ogden is also named for the Beus family.
The bishops’ grandparents, Evan and Alta Beus, moved from Ogden to Washington state in 1957 and bought farmland in Othello shortly after canals brought water to the area from the Columbia River.
Several Latter-day Saint families moved there around the same time to farm the land, and a chapel was built in the early 1960s. These families invented better watering and farming techniques and created a community. Many members of the Othello Washington Stake are descendants of those first families.
Evan and Alta Beus had nine children. Some continued to farm the land, passing on lessons of hard work and sacrifice to their children. Now the property is mainly an apple orchard. Each of those nine children had families of their own, resulting in around 50 first cousins.
The cousins grew up as neighbors, playing and working together mainly on the Beus farm for almost all their childhoods. Bishop Beus said he feels blessed — “I figured that’s how everyone’s childhood was.”
Bishop Harris said it seemed like his grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles had to work hard to make things work. “There’s a determination in their character, and that plays a role in their testimony and discipleship. There’s just a determination to follow the principles of the gospel no matter what comes their way. And I’ve seen that strength pass on to the kids, to each generation — just a determination to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, to do the right thing, to be a good person.”
Bishop Beus said the most important thing for his grandmother, Alta Beus, was to be kind. As one of the younger children growing up around a lot of extended family, he saw that kindness among his older cousins and family members.
Those examples helped Bishop Gentry when he turned 19 and was nervous to serve a mission. But all of his older cousins had served missions, and he felt a desire to serve in part because of his grandparents’ faith and testimonies. “I didn’t want to disappoint them.”
Then, Bishop Gentry’s mission helped Bishop Harris when it was his turn to go. “To see [my cousins] be willing to dedicate two years of their lives just made it an easy decision for me.” Bishop Beus agreed.
Serving among family and friends
Bishop Gentry, Bishop Harris and Bishop Beus all grew up in the Othello 3rd Ward boundaries. When it comes to age, Bishop Gentry is the oldest, then Bishop Harris, then Bishop Beus. Their parents all still live in the 3rd Ward under Bishop Harris’ watchful care.
“We have a good amount of people in the older generation in the ward, but they really are such stalwart, humble, faithful members,” Bishop Harris said. “It’s an interesting experience to know that these are not just the family that I looked up to as a child, but also adults, home teachers, that now I have the opportunity to be a bishop for them.”
Bishop Gentry also has some of his family members in his Othello 2nd Ward boundaries, and Bishop Beus said he has members in his Othello 1st Ward who have lived in Othello for a long time.
Gathering from the different towns for stake conference can feel like a reunion, he said, with members feeling genuine love for each other.
“I grew up with a lot of these people, and my friends’ parents are in the ward, and I’ve been impressed that they’re just a lot of really good, humble people,” Bishop Beus said. “They could easily look at me and think, ‘You’re the bishop?’ But they are very kind and patient. … It’s interesting for all three of us, I think, to be the bishop over a ward where we have known the people for our whole lives.”
