Elizabeth (Beth) Ann Anderson of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2025, at Huntsville Hospital’s Hospice Family Care facility after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 83 years old.
Beth is survived by her husband, Ronald Charles Anderson; her sons, Darrin (Cheryl) Anderson and Derrik (Alison) Anderson; her grandchildren, Cassandra Anderson and Camille (Zane) Anderson-Reed; and countless close friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Elizabeth Schock, and her brothers, George Schock and Howard Schock.
Beth was born on December 20, 1941, in Geneva, Illinois. She often reminisced about her happy childhood, including growing up on a farm in rural Illinois with her loving family and being the only girl at the eight-student, one-room schoolhouse she attended. Beth wanted to be a cowgirl, loved horses, and was active in 4-H. In 1959, she graduated from Coal City High School, where she had made her lifelong friends, Elaine and Judy. Beth attended Northern Illinois University for one year and then held various secretarial jobs, before beginning her career as a secretary for the federal government.
In 1962, when visiting a new dance hall with one of her friends, a handsome young man named Ronald Anderson, fresh out of the Navy, asked her to dance. After two and a half years of courtship, she married him on November 20, 1965. They made their home in the Coal City area, where they welcomed their two sons, Darrin (1966) and Derrik (1971). The family built a house by the river with the help of their close friends Elaine and Mel Smith, but when Ron’s job was transferred, they moved to Milan, Illinois.
In Milan, Beth was incredibly active in her community, particularly with the schools that her sons attended. She started the Booster Club there, was a Cub Scout leader, and a 4-H leader. Her goal was always to ensure that her boys had positive experiences. To that end, the family also took many vacations, including camping around the country, from the Florida Keys to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and places in between.
In July 1985, another job transfer for Ron brought the family to Huntsville. Beth continued her career as a logistician with AMCOM at Redstone Arsenal. Moving to the South meant they were closer to the beach, and the family took trips to Destin every year. During that time, the family bought a boat, and Beth loved the time she spent on it cruising the waters of north Alabama with family and friends.
Always one to be involved with the community, she joined the NU chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority in 1994. The dear friends she made there were very special to her, and she remained active with them until the end.
After retiring from the government in 2002, Beth became a direct sales health and wellness consultant for Vaxa, Nikken, and Waiora. For about 8 years, she worked very hard to build her business. In the process, she made many great friends and acquired knowledge about and a passion for alternative health care, which she was eager to share with others.
Beth loved to cook and entertain, to socialize, and to talk. She could sit and visit for hours and never let you leave her house hungry. She loved planting flowers in the Spring, watching the hummingbirds, and celebrating every holiday, big or small. A loyal and loving wife, mother, and friend, she was always there to listen, advise, and comfort. Beth will be remembered for her sociable and caring spirit and devotion to those she loved. No one who had the privilege to know and love her will ever forget her.
Burial will be held on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Huntsville Memory Gardens, 6810 University Drive, Huntsville. A Celebration of Life will follow the burial immediately at Hampton House, 2700 Hampton Cove Way SE, Owens Cross Roads. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to 305 8th Street, a group home community for disabled adults. For more information, visit their website at https://www.3058thstreet.org.
