Date of Birth
Mar 20,1915
Date of Death
Jan 11,2013
ELIZABETH "Betty" ROBERTSON BEITH, age 97, passed away peacefully, Friday, January 11, 2013, at Sherman Hospital, Elgin and is finally reunited with her husband George who passed in 1989. She was born March 20, 1915 the daughter of John Bright and Lillian (Scannell) Robertson in Oak Park, IL.Betty grew up in Oak Park and attended local schools. She graduated with the class of 1933 and continued her studies at Lake Forest College. Following her time at Lake Forrest, Betty traveled with her Auntie Bess.Betty met her future husband at the summer house in Maine. She was united in marriage to her wartime sweetheart George H. Beith, on February 1, 1941 in Oak Park, IL. They began their new life in Elgin for many years before moving out to the family farm on Beith Rd where they built a home and made a lifetime of memories. She continued to live on in Elburn following George’s passing in 1989. In her younger years she was a staple in the Elgin Garden Club and "Fideletors". Betty and George was also an early member of the Elgin Country Club. Betty was from an age where a lady was a lady and could easily be comfortable in any group or class. She left the house for garden club with white gloves, and epitomized graciousness and refinement in all that she did. As a girl she was encouraged to learn about the world through her weekends at her Auntie Bess’s in Highland Park. Auntie Bess was an artist herself who authored and published a quilt book and has two quilts in the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. She sponsored painters, sculptors, and photographers running from Germany during WWII, several of whom became world renowned and who would teach art to her friends and family at Auntie Bess’ house on Saturday mornings. They also spent time at Bess’s condo on Lake Shore Drive and frequented shows at the Palmer House, Hilton, and the Pump Room listening to live performances featuring Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra during the Worlds Fair. In her later years she also made an appearance at a performance of Jefferson Airplane at the Graffiti in Aurora. Through all of her experiences, Betty considered her role in the home the most important. She made a life out of living for her family. Betty was an independent soul who kept her own house and drove a stick shift into her nineties. She now leaves her son William Beith and his wife Karen Kelly-Beith of Elburn,One granddaughter Becky (Brian) Sweeney and their children Grace Elizabeth and Gretchen Lorraine, Gabrielle Ruth, of Huntley, IL;Several nieces and nephews and a family of friends with a lifetime of memories that will never be forgotten. She now joins her parents, John B. and Lillian, husband George; one brother and sister-in-law, John B. and Betty Robertson,one sister Jane Ann Robertson and her special friend John Muirhead who preceded her in death. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m., with a memorial service to celebrate her life to follow at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, January 19, 2013, Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn. Private family interment will follow a later date at Fairview Cemetery, Farmington, ME. A memorial has been established in her name to benefit Fox Valley Hospice and other charities. Checks may be made to the "Betty Beith Memorial" and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119. Tributes and memories may also be forwarded to the family at the same address or through www.conleycare.com where you can find her full life story.