Beth was born on September 4, 1946 in Baton Rouge. She was a 1964 graduate of Broadmoor High in Baton Rouge, and graduated magna cum laude from LSU with a B.A. in English.
Beth was preceded in death by her loving husband of 45 years, John E. Meredith. Beth is survived by her brother, Meyer Heiman and his wife Judith of Mandeville, Louisiana. She is also survived by three nieces and a nephew: Lisa Heiman Collins (Justin) of New Orleans, Ashley Rebecca Heiman Wilmore (Charles) of Metairie, Louisiana, Jonathan Neal Heiman (Lauren) of Mandeville, and Kristen Heiman Pollet (David) of Metairie. She is also survived by 11 great-nieces and nephews: Adriana Wilmore, Lucy Collins, Lucas Heiman, Angelia Wilmore, Kate Collins, Dylan Heiman, James Pollet, William Pollet, Logan Heiman, Andrew Pollet and Jack Pollet.
Immediately after college, Beth began work at South Central Bell Telephone in New Orleans, where she quickly rose to manage the HR and Financial departments. In total, she spent 20 years with the company that eventually became BellSouth Telecommunications. Beth lived in Birmingham and Atlanta for opportunities with BellSouth, holding leadership positions such as Operations Manager of Network Operator Services and Operations Manager of Customer Service. At the time of her retirement from BellSouth in 1995, she was the Director of Information Technology for BellSouth’s business systems. Beth later spent time in management positions with Premiere Communications and Equifax in Atlanta. In 2001, Beth moved back to Baton Rouge to help take care of her mother, Clara Heiman. During that time she earned her realtor’s license, then held leadership roles at Aegis Lending Corp. and Corporate Green, LLC. Beth fully retired in 2009.
Education was very important to Beth, and she made a point of attending her nieces’ and nephew’s college and post-graduate school graduations, even when they were out-of-state. She also generously provided educational funds for her nieces and nephews, as well as all of her great-nieces and nephews.
Beth prioritized and cherished family traditions. She threw lovely bridal luncheons for all of her nieces and niece-in-law, taking pride in hosting guests at fine dining restaurants. Beth was also a prodigious knitter and made beautiful baby blankets for all 11 of her great-nieces and nephews.
Her great passion was caring for her dogs. Beth will be deeply missed by Katie and Summer, her standard poodles who were the center of her life. Beth’s “Girls” were well-cared for and deeply loved.
The family would like to thank Ann Davis of Woodville, Mississippi, and Mary Francis Stayton of Leeds, Alabama, for their love, friendship, and care shown to Beth.
Beth was a member of First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. Services will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 1100 Florida Blvd., on Monday, July 29th. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m., with a religious service at noon. A family burial will follow at the Hyde Cemetery in Chesbrough, Louisiana.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the LSU Foundation for the benefit of the LSU Veterinary School. You can use this link: giveLSU.org/bethmeredith or mail your donation, with Beth Meredith as the memo, at 3796 Nicholson Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
