Obituary of Elizabeth Robertson Beckley

Elizabeth Robertson Beckley "Lib" , age 97, died peacefully on September 29, 2014 in Reston, VA. She was born on January 24, 1917 to Frank and Catherine Robertson in Finchville, KY. She graduated from Finchville High School in 1935, and then from Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College in 1939. Upon graduation she married her lifelong love, Sam Beckley, and then accompanied him on his assignments around the country as an officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II, serving as a school teacher herself at several locations. Lib was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 74 years in 2013, and is survived by her daughter Alice MacDonald and son-in-law William MacDonald, of Herndon, VA; two grandchildren, Lauren Wittstadt (John) of Baltimore, MD, and Dr. Scott MacDonald (Melissa) of Broadlands, VA; four great-grandchildren, Beckley and William Wittstadt and Anna and Jack MacDonald; a niece, Jule Raizor, and grand-niece, Jackie Frankel. Sam and Lib moved to Arlington, VA, in 1949, and were active members of the Little Falls United Presbyterian Church. Lib loved good books, cooking, bridge, and most especially her wonderful friends. Their home was always a place of warm hospitality. At the center of her life was her family, and she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Lib's beautiful disposition and loving spirit were felt by all who knew her. Upon Sam's retirement in 1973, they moved to Winter Haven, FL, returning to Northern Virginia in 2001, where they lived at Vinson Hall Retirement Community in McLean. They moved in 2010 to Sunrise Assisted Living in Reston. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the P.E.O. Foundation, Women Helping Women, 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312. A memorial service will be held at the family cemetery in Shelbyville, KY at a future date.