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Ruth Gohman: 1950s female wrestler, bodybuilder
10:08 AM CST on Sunday, December 2, 2007
By JOANNA CATTANACH / The Dallas Morning News
jcattanach@dallasnews.com
The bulletin at Ruth Gohman's funeral asked friends and visitors to remember the former wrestler and silversmith's loving, laughing and joyful personality.
That's how Kay Gohman remembers her fun and feisty Aunt Ruthie. She was "cranky, crotchety but hilarious at the same time."
Ruth Gohman was known as Countess Victoria de Beaulais during the mid- and late 1950s in Venice, Calif. Ms. Gohman died Nov. 17 at age 71 after a battle with cancer.
Born March 5, 1936, in San Diego, Ms. Gohman made a name for herself as the curvaceous, blond wrestler and bodybuilder Countess Victoria de Beaulais during the mid- and late 1950s in Venice, Calif.
She twisted and tangled with the best of female wrestlers, later earning the nickname "Beau."
"There weren't that many female wrestlers around," Kay Gohman said. Black and white photos of the Countess show the rough-and-tumble lifestyle women in the business led in those days, competing in nothing but basic bathing suits and sneakers.
Raised a Jehovah's Witness, Beau wanted to break out and have new experiences, her niece said.
"She got into quite a bit of mess," Kay Gohman said, recalling an incident on a caravan trip to Las Vegas. "It was her idea to wave my petticoat around when our car broke down."
But that rebellious streak never stopped her from being a dependable friend.
"She was just a lot of fun," said one friend, Judy Batze.
Ms. Gohman eventually moved from California to Texas, where she worked at AT&T until retirement.
She kept her feisty spirit until the end, said Ms. Batze, who often joined Ms. Gohman and Kay Gohman at Kim and Jenny's Cafe in Duncanville.
"She'd speak her mind," Kay Gohman said. "She was an aunt to me, too."
Ms. Gohman enjoyed making jewelry and was a talented silversmith. She traveled to psychic fairs selling her pieces and often gave her creations to friends and family.
While in Duncanville, she joined a citizen's patrol group and was dubbed "Trouble."
She later battled cancer but never lost her characteristic wit.
"She was always very, very independent," Kay Gohman said.
In addition to her niece Kay, Ms. Gohman is survived by nieces Barbara German of Fort Worth, Susannah Gilman of Florida, and Donna Douglas and Diana Spurling, both of California; and nephew Charles Gohman of Indiana.
