Stephentown – Beth-Anne Steele, 47, surrendered to cancer on January 7, 2016 surrounded by the love and support of her friends and those she called her “chosen family.” Born on Long Island on December 3, 1968, she was predeceased by her parents Robert and Anne Steele. [private]
Though an only child by birth, she may hold the world record for acquiring family during her lifetime. She is survived by a network of sister-friends she called her “tribe,” led by her best friend, Tracy Grant. She is also survived by her immediate feline family, Lucas, Bailey, Nikita, and Gigi. A graduate of Berlin Central High School ’86, Beth-Anne remained close to many of her high school friends and took every opportunity to express her love to each of them. She worked for Rite Aid for many years and had been employed by Carr Hardware until she became ill. She acquired countless friends through her work, photography, philanthropy, hiking, and sheer love of life.
To know Beth-Anne was to love her. Her soul was open and overflowing with an endless supply of unconditional love, which she shared freely. Her love of nature captured the true essence of appreciating the most basic things around us every day and her passion for photography is a permanent reminder to surround ourselves with the people and places that make us happy. Her beautiful pictures of sunsets, trees, hiking paths, panoramic vistas, birds, horses, farms, foliage, snow, lakes, railroads, people and places are a visual diary of the “happy places” she saw all around her and wanted to share with all of us. Beth-Anne spent much of her time considering others; no matter what her mood, illness, condition, or resources, she found ‘her way’ to reach a friend in need, support a cause she believed in, or help a total stranger. In the month before her passing she donated purses and necessities to a women’s shelter; she believed in paying it forward. She believed in God and felt that everything happened for a reason. She included everyone and was loyal to her roots. She loved the NY Yankees and visiting NYC. She saw each day as a new beginning, a second chance, a new adventure with endless possibility.
At her request, there will not be a funeral service or calling hours, though a memorial celebration of her life will be held in the near future and an announcement will be posted on her Facebook page. To honor her compassionate spirit and passion for photography, a memorial scholarship is being established to support a Berlin High School student with an interest in studying art or photography. Donations can be sent to the Mahar Funeral Home 43 Main Street Hoosick Falls, NY 12090 for the Beth-Anne Steele Scholarship Fund.[/private]