Elizabeth Chambliss

Born in Burlington, IA, on August 18, 1951, to Ray and Charlotte (nee Mosena) Devall, Beth and her family later moved to Illinois, and that is where she spent most of her life.

She graduated from Waukegan High School in 1969 and went on to work at Tops Department Store and First National Bank of Waukegan. She began dating the love of her life, Earl, and they were engaged just weeks later. They began their life together on August 14, 1971. She is survived by her children, Jennifer (Blake) Dinchak of Trevor, WI, Bridgett (Justin Klein) Hodges of Kenosha, WI, and Justin (Marisa) Chambliss of Twin Lakes, WI; the most special, spoiled grandchildren—Leah, Milo, Savannah, and Grayson; her brothers, David (Jill) and Ed (Lisa) Devall; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her best friend and husband of nearly 28 years, Earl; her parents, Ray and Charlotte Devall; her in-laws, Augie and Frances Hubert; her brothers, Carl and Frankie; and many loved aunts and uncles.

Beth always said the only thing she ever wanted to do when she grew up was "to be a mom." In 1978, she got that wish when she had her first baby, Jennifer. In 1982, she welcomed her second daughter, Bridgett, and after many years as foster parents helping children in need, our family was complete with the addition of our baby brother, Justin, in 1991. Mom was the center of a family who shared so many happy memories and laughter, but also a lot of heartache. She lost her husband in 1999 after a short battle with cancer. He was her rock, and after he was gone, she had to find the strength to carry on. She did for us kids and her family, but her grief stayed with her until the day she passed. We find tremendous comfort in knowing he was there to welcome her to heaven, likely with a Winston and an Old Style in hand.

Beth was the ultimate homemaker. She made our house a home, whether it was in her constant redecorating and rearranging of the furniture, having dinner on the table when our dad came home from work, or couponing for deals at Food 4 Less on Tuesdays (Double Coupon Day, of course). She was notorious for her daily trips to the Thrift Store and Sears Outlet. Always just a phone call away, she brought us countless forgotten lunches and homework assignments, bailed one of us out of a drunk tank in high school, picked up another on the side of the road at 3 a.m., and reveled in the perfection of her other child. We will let you decide which was which.

Beth was always a wife and a mother first, but beyond that, she was a great daughter, sister, Grammy, and friend. She helped care for both her parents and her in-laws as they got older, making sure they were taken care of until they passed. For many years, our extended family was lucky enough to all live within about ten minutes of each other, which made it easy to be together often to celebrate family milestones and holidays. Mom loved a party, not because she danced or would drink, but because she loved being surrounded by those she cared about most. One of Mom's favorite outings was to Quonset Pizza for a bomber and an O'Doul's with her kids. Despite being a stay-at-home mom, she wore many hats—lunch lady, babysitter, Credit Union board member, and her favorite role of all, Grammy and Mimi. One of her favorite sayings was, "If I knew having grandchildren would be so fun, I would have had them first." She adored her babies and showered them with love (and gifts) beyond measure.

She gave so much. Simple things, like good morning texts, food pictures, surprise Amazon packages at the front door, her regular nighttime message of "Love all my kids so much, God Bless you all," and her cheesy FB GIFs always brightened our days. Bigger things, like special cruises and trips to Alaska, Gatlinburg, and Mall of America, we will hold in our memories forever. She loved FaceTiming with her grandbabies, Amazon Prime, and Wal-Mart delivery. She thought the greatest invention of the 21st century was being able to pause live TV. This was helpful when she was watching her "shows," especially Blue Bloods, NCIS, The Waltons, Wheel of Fortune, Price Is Right, and Jeopardy.

Mom loved knowing what was going on in everyone's life. From opening baseball cards with her son, talking about boy trouble with her granddaughter, attending her grandsons' plays, or just playing Yahtzee, she could always be counted on to show up. She was stubborn, very funny, and, much to her oldest daughter's delight, had a very inappropriate sense of humor. She found solace in prayer and her faith and would listen to hymns, Alan Jackson, and spiritual songs when she was going to sleep each night.

We have so many things we wanted to include in this obituary, but we realized it was impossible to fit a lifetime of memories into a short set of words. Ultimately, we just want everyone to know that our mom loved SO hard and was loved by many beyond belief. We will miss her dearly and now have an angel who will guide us while we navigate life without the glue that held us together. We will keep living, loving, and making new memories, carrying her with us every step of the way - Always & All Ways.

A visitation will be held on September 10, 2026, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N Cemetery Rd, Gurnee, IL 60031. A committal service will take place at Highland Memorial Park, 33100 Hunt Club Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048.