I first met Beth about 55 years ago when I started dating her sister, Anne.
I think she was the first deaf person that I got to know.
Beth was always remarkably good at lip-reading, and her speech was good enough for me to hold conversations with her.
In those years when we were young adults, our brothers and sisters got married and started raising children. We visited each other often and cousins got to know each other quite well. Beth did amazingly well at raising her three children, considering that she and Weitz were both deaf and their children had normal hearing. We applaud her for that. 
Birthdays were a time for getting together, and the years rolled by.... 

In 1994 Anne and I emigrated to New Zealand with our children, and that separated us from the extended family. Unfortunately, only a few days before we departed, tragedy struck Beth and her children with Weitz passing away. While we were fully occupied with finding our own feet in a new country, I can’t imagine what Beth and her children were going through in their new circumstances.
More years rolled by, and about 8 years later, Mona and her husband, Coenie, moved to New Zealand for a few years. Beth and Debbie followed in 2003. We took Beth on tours of New Zealand north island and later south island in January 2004. 

After Beth moved to London, we were able to spend time with her during our visits in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2017. On these visits, we, together with her siblings, went on week-long canal boat trips on 3 occasions, which were fabulous sight-seeing trips that gave us good quality time together, with great memories. Beth also joined us on memorable trips to Scotland and to Cornwall.

Sadly, we now bid farewell to Beth. I’m grateful to have known her and, over many years, to have spent time with her. She knows Jesus, and she is now in His hands.