Elizabeth Ann Beach

For those who knew and loved Elizabeth, it is difficult to think of her without smiling. She was full of life, full of laughter, full of wisdom, and —most of all—full of love. She loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved serving others, and she loved her Lord.

Elizabeth was born on July 17, 1932, in Lubbock, Texas, to Don and Anne Mitchell. She and her brother, Ross, enjoyed a wonderful and carefree childhood. She graduated from Lubbock High School in 1950 and followed her brother to Southern Methodist University, where she graduated in 1954. While at SMU, she was an active member of the Tri Delta sorority and served as president. Looking back on those years, Elizabeth would simply say, “I had more fun than anybody!”

After graduation, Elizabeth returned to Lubbock, where she met and married Air Force pilot Jean Shotts on May 12, 1955. Their life together took them to England, where Jean was stationed for three years. During those years, their son Jean Jr., and daughter Virginia were born. The family returned to Texas in 1958, and their son Steve, was born in Abilene in 1959.

Jean completed his military service with assignments at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth and Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas before retiring from the Air Force in 1969. The family then moved to San Angelo, Texas, where Jean became a pilot for Mitsubishi Aircraft International.

Elizabeth quickly became an important part of the San Angelo community. She became involved in her church, the hospital auxiliary, and local civic affairs. In 1973, she became the first woman elected to the San Angelo City Commission, and in 1974 she served as mayor pro tem.

Leadership seemed to come naturally to Elizabeth. Whenever she became involved in an organization, she rarely stayed on the sidelines for long. She saw something that needed to be done—and she did it. And if there was an opportunity to help someone, she was usually already on her way.

In 1986, Elizabeth and Jean returned to Lubbock, where she happily reconnected with many old friends. They joined First Baptist Church, and Elizabeth soon began teaching a Sunday School class of ladies. For the next 20 years, she faithfully taught that class. She loved studying God’s Word, but she loved sharing it with others even more.

She began a special ministry at First Baptist Church delivering homemade cookies to people in the hospital. The ministry became known as “The Maker’s Dozen.” With a dozen cookies and a heart full of love, Elizabeth found a simple and beautiful way to remind people that they were not forgotten.

She also discovered a love for quilting. She made many beautiful, hand-stitched quilts, giving almost all of them away. Those quilts have become treasured reminders of Elizabeth—not only because of the beauty of her handiwork, but because each one represents the love and generosity with which she lived.

Elizabeth was never idle. Even at an age when most people might have been content to slow down, Elizabeth always seemed to have somewhere to go, someone to help, something to make, or someone to invite to dinner. And what dinners they were!

Elizabeth was a wonderful hostess. She loved having family and friends in her home and took great pleasure in preparing delicious meals for them. She made amazing birthday cakes for special friends and became known for her oatmeal cookies, peanut brittle, and pecan pralines. She also loved playing (and winning!) at bridge or any game she played. She enjoyed working jigsaw and word search puzzles and did the crossword puzzle every morning for years.

After Jean passed away in 2007, Elizabeth’s story took another unexpected and beautiful turn. In 2009, she married Milton Beach, her high school sweetheart. She moved to Virginia Beach to be with him, and they enjoyed ten happy years together before Milton passed away in 2019.

Elizabeth then moved to McKinney, TX to live with her daughter, Virginia and son-in-law, Stan. These past seven years were a very special time filled with lots of jigsaw puzzles, helping the Texas Rangers win the World Series, many lunches with friends and family, and enjoying attending Cottonwood Creek Church. She especially enjoyed her Agape life group where they doted on her with many hugs and bringing her coffee and donuts.

She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a cherished grandmother, and a delighted great-grandmother. Her family was always at the center of her heart. She loved her three children deeply and treasured her grandchildren. And she was especially blessed to live long enough to know and love her great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Anne Mitchell; her brother, Ross Mitchell; her husbands, Jean Shotts and Milton Beach; her son, Jean Shotts Jr.; her grandson, Heath Shotts; her nephew David Mitchell; and her son-in-law, Ken Epley.

She is survived by her daughter, Virginia Cole (Stan); her son, Steve Shotts; her grandchildren, Britton Shotts (Amber), Martin Shotts (Brandie), Kate Johns, Christian Shotts, Aaron Elizabeth King (Jason), and Kaley Shotts; ten great-grandchildren; her former daughter-in-law, Cloetta Shotts Spearman; her niece, Dianne Mitchell James (Tim); and her best friend of 83 years, Pat Enloe.

The family extends its heartfelt appreciation to the staff of Brythaven Willow Creek Senior Care, where Elizabeth was lovingly cared for during the past nine months. We are especially grateful to Brittany, Gigi, Gabby, Tiffany, Sering, Ojay, and Serena for the kindness and compassion they showed Elizabeth. We also extend our sincere appreciation to Concho Hearts Hospice for their loving care.

Elizabeth’s Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026. Committal will be at 11:00 a.m. at Resthaven Memorial Park, 5740 19th St., Lubbock, TX, followed by the service in the chapel and a reception afterward.

We thank God for giving us Elizabeth and we will miss her more than words can express. But because she trusted in Jesus Christ, we have the blessed assurance that this is not the end of her story. She is home. And she is having “more fun than anybody!”