Elizabeth Margaret Van Steenbergh

Elizabeth (Betty) Margaret Van Steenbergh, age 80, died peacefully on Thursday, July 4, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina, a fitting farewell for the family historian who was born on January 8, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first of three children to Mary Katherine and Merle T. Welshans.

Betty spent the majority of her childhood in St. Louis, Missouri graduating from Kirkwood High School and Washington University before pursuing graduate studies in History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she met her husband Sam.

Betty began her career as an educator teaching high school in Arlington, TX, paused to focus on raising her two children and then returned to the classroom where she took great pride in seeing the development of her students in Reading Recovery. A voracious reader herself, she was often immersed in a good book and enjoyed recounting the plots of her latest reads.

Betty loved any occasion to celebrate and often enjoyed the company of her wide circle of friends in Book Club, Pokeno or PEO groups. If you were fortunate enough to be around when she was entertaining, it is likely you looked forward to the end of the evening when Betty’s love of dessert was shared with all. Betty could tell which cool fall day would be just right for a batch of divinity or fudge and when peaches were in season she would spend a full weekend baking enough Peach Cobbler to last the remainder of the year.

She was preceded in death by her parents and loving husband of 42 years, Sam Van Steenbergh. She is survived by her son, Kent Van Steenbergh and wife Molly Simpson of Shanghai, China and her daughter Katherine Van Steenbergh and wife Michelle Bradford of Renton, Washington. Betty (Nai Nai) adored her two precious grandsons, Alexander Charles Van Steenbergh and Peter Brogdon Van Steenbergh and the holidays spent with them brought her so much joy. Betty is also survived by her younger brother Arthur Welshans of St. Louis, MO and younger sister Janice Welshans of Columbia, SC.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at Fort Worth United Methodist Church.

Memorials may be made to Room to Read or a charity of your choice. She was a deeply loved sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend and will be greatly missed.