Our sweet little angel, Beth Mitchell, valiantly passed her earthly test and returned to her Heavenly home on October 24, 2015. Beth was born December 27, 1960, the baby girl of Clarence Everett and Barbara Atkinson Mitchell.
Beth lived a long and happy life. She touched many lives and taught us how to unconditionally love, freely enjoy life, laugh, forgive, and to have a heart full of gratitude. Beth especially loved spending time with her parents and family, Christmas, Demolition Derbies, the Family Sleepout, and the Utah Jazz. She liked to be called, "Woman."
After her mother died in 2007, Beth lived with the family of John and Caryl Miles who took care of her until the end of her life. Beth passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones.
Beth is survived by her siblings: Victor C. (Julie) Mitchell, Sun City, AZ; Connie B. (Michael) Adams, Ogden, UT; Caryl Ann (and the late John D.) Miles, Kamas, UT; Paul E. (Teri Sue) Mitchell, Francis, UT; Debra Kay (Wayne) Hillstead, Liberty, UT; Boyd A (Bonie Mae) Mitchell and Becky Sue (Dennis) O’Driscoll, Kamas, UT; and many nieces, nephews, and others whose lives she touched.
Beth was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Barbara; her brothers in law, Lloyd Ray Lazenby and John Darrell Miles; and her great-nephew Nikolas Miles Yturralde.
Funeral services will be conducted at the LDS Church, 387 W. Last Frontier Lane, Francis, Utah on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, at noon. Visitation will be held Tuesday evening from 6:00 until 8:00 and Wednesday morning from 10:30 until 11:45.
Interment in Francis Cemetery under the direction of Crandall Funeral Home - Kamas.
My, (Kristy's), talk at Beth's funeral. I added a lot of Kaleb's beautiful testimony from the previous post. I am thankful for the spirit and testimony that he has.
Beth
I feel so blessed that Beth was has always been a huge part of my life. My earliest childhood memories include Beth and playing under grandma’s quilts with her in the living room. I love her so much—she is my aunt, my sister, my friend.
My son Kaleb is on a mission in Virginia. On Monday, he sent home a beautiful email about Beth. He said, “When I was younger, I always wondered what exactly Beth’s purpose was in this life? Knowing that she was not accountable for her actions or decisions, what role was she sent to play in Heavenly Father’s beautiful plan? What was predetermined in the pre-mortal life that we were to learn from Beth? Like Kaleb, I’ve also been thinking of this for several months as we’ve slowly watched Beth decline.
We know mentally she did not reach the age of accountability. In the Book of Mormon, Moroni says, “But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God.” We know Beth was without sin. That means she was among a handful of God’s children that walked this earth without err. Although she still needed the Atonement so she could live again, she always had a special relationship and love in Jesus Christ.
So what can we learn from Beth’s example?
I think the first thing I learned from Beth from a very young age is Empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I learned that handicapped people are special and they need to be respected and helped, not teased and made fun of. I’m so grateful that my children learned this from a very young age also.
The next thing I learned from Beth is Divine Nature. Kaleb wrote, “Beth knew she was a child of God and you could see it in her. We know this because her favorite song is I am a Child of God. She sang it countless number of times and she would sing it with every breath she had, as loud as she could because she knew it was true. How beautiful that singing was. What could be more inspiring and more perfect than someone with her challenges declaring to the world that she is a child of our Heavenly Father and she loved him perfectly? This was heavenly sent, those primary songs rang so familiar to her because she had already known them before she even came to this earth. Alma 36:22 says, “Yea, me thought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.”
Going to church with Beth was a huge spiritual treat. She was very emotional at church—you knew that she could feel the spirit very strongly. I’m grateful for our dear friend Laura who took her to primary with her so she could listen to the music and feel that love from our Heavenly Father. I know it was a special time for her and for all the children in primary.
I think grandma said it perfectly when she said, “A miracle was born the day Bethie entered into our lives. What a blessing in disguise she was. However, I did not know that at the time. I now know what it is to raise a child that places one hand in yours and the other hand in God’s."
Another thing I learned from Beth is Love. Kaleb said, “The strongest Angelic quality I have been blessed enough to see in Beth was her way of showing the pure love of Christ. Moroni 7:47 says, “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” The pure love of Christ is the atonement of our Savior. Beth showed countless examples of that atonement. I noticed that Beth always seeked after the One, like our Savior did. I remember on multiple occasions when I was having a hard time or when I may have been pouting in my own selfishness, Beth would always seek me out and come right up to me, grab my shoulders and shake me. Then she would laugh, jump pretty much on my lap and hug me, even sometimes giving me a big kiss on the cheek. Every time she did this, it lifted my spirit and put me in a better mood. She loved every one; she did these kinds of things all the time, even to strangers.” How many of us have had that same experience?
Every time I walked into my mom’s or grandma’s house and she saw me, she would get so excited. She always made me feel like I was the most important person in her world. She would just randomly say, “Kristy, I like you!” or “Kristy, you’re so cute!” or if I was lucky, she would say “Kristy, I love you!” Have you ever seen anyone demonstrate so much compassionate Christ like love?
Another thing I learned from Beth is the importance of having a family. All she wanted in this life is to be married and have babies. She knew it was important! She has spent hours and hours rocking her babies. That is all she wanted for Christmas every year—a new baby. She talked about it for weeks in advance. She did find a couple boyfriends, but that was strongly discouraged by grandma and grandpa. When she told them she wanted to get married, they told her she had to wait until she was 30 and when she got to be 30, they said she had to wait until she was 40, and when she got to be 40, she had to wait to be 50. But by then, I think she just gave up. Whenever I had a newborn baby, Beth would always tell me, “You’re so lucky.” It made me appreciate my babies a little bit more., for I am very blessed!
I also learned the importance of modesty. Beth was very modest. There is no way you were ever going to see Beth’s knees. And she would always say, “Company.” If she said that to you, you needed to cover up and fast—your underwear was showing! She would rearrange your shirt or pull your shorts down if she thought they weren’t long enough. I appreciate her example of modesty and that true beauty comes from within.
Beth taught me about forgiveness. D & C 82:1 says, “Inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you.” Beth was very forgiving. And if she was mean or yelled at you, it only took her a few minutes to say, “I apologize” and she would give you one of those wonderful hugs.
The last lesson that I am going to talk about is Happiness. Beth taught us that happiness doesn’t come from how many toys we can possess. If you asked Beth if she had any money, she would just smile and say, “nope.” Lance told me that he learned from her that you should just stop what you are doing and dance. Just like the video of her 50th birthday party. She just stopped what she was doing and started dancing without a care in the world. I believe happiness does come from all these qualities that Beth possessed: Knowing who you are and seeing others as Heavenly Father sees them instead of how man sees them, showing others the pure love of Christ, knowing that family comes first and treating our family members as they should be treated, Being modest in dress and thought, showing Forgiveness and in return asking for forgiveness.
Kaleb also wrote this, “The greatest lesson I learned from Beth took me almost eighteen years to figure out. Beth in her older years had a hard time walking. Our family enjoys going to all sorts of events and we would always bring Beth along. After a rodeo, a derby, or a game of some sort one of us would usually pick Beth up in our arms and carry her down the big bleachers, or down the stairs. We would hold her hand and help her get to where we were going. Every time I would do this Beth would get so excited she would yell for everyone in the family to look at her so she could tell them how much fun she was having. When I would Lift Beth I thought I was doing her a favor, in all honesty, when I Lifted Beth she was actually Lifting Me. The humility I learned from Beth changed my life. She really did lift my family through the hard times. She lifted my Grandmother through the loss of her husband. Beth lifted each of us and carried us in such passionate and personal ways always putting a smile on our face when we thought there was no way we could smile. She proved us wrong.
I know this was a large portion of Beth's earthly mission. To show us that Christ like Love. We may not know until after this life what the full meaning of Her purpose was but this we do know. Beth Mitchell fulfilled all the Father expected of Her. She stayed loyal and true to what she agreed to come down and do for our family. For this we are grateful! I know with every ounce of me that Beth will live again. She will be Resurrected through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She will be among the faithful and those who kept the faith, that will rise at the morning of the first resurrection. She will be there, crowned in Celestial Glory. She still lives! She is still a part of this work in helping all of our brothers and sisters return to the Father. I guess the real question to ask is, will we be counted with her? We would all do well to follow the example of our sweet Angel Beth.
I also wonder if I could catch some of what the grand reunion must have been like when Beth did pass away last week, I can only Imagine her excitement and Her happiness. I echo the words of Enos before He passed as recorded in the Book of Mormon.
Enos 1:27 "And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."
I’m so grateful for Kaleb’s testimony!
Elder Russell M. Nelson said, “Irrespective of age, we mourn for those loved and lost. Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love. It is a natural response in complete accord with divine commandment, “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die.” (D&C 42:45.)
Moreover, we can’t fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life. Beth showed us much love and I will be forever grateful for that love. Her love is the reason why it is so hard for us now. I know she will be watching over us until we meet again. I Love you Beth—thank you so much for everything you have done for us--I will never forget!
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ--Amen
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Kristy, Beth, and Caryl - August 7, 2015
Till We Meet, (You and Me), Till We Meet at Jesus' Feet
God be with you till we meet again. . .
(That was how Beth sang this song--I love it!)
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