Elizabeth "Beth" Van Houten Obituary (1945 - 2022)

Washington, D.C. - Elizabeth Ann Van Houten passed away on the evening of June 21st 2022 at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. She died of injuries sustained in a single-vehicle automobile accident that occurred that morning. She was 77. Beth was the daughter of the late Marian and Raymond Van Houten. She is survived by her brothers, Robert, of Winchester, Massachusetts, and William, of Severna Park, Maryland. Robert was with her when she died, as were the children of her late first cousin, John Paul and Naomi Kordak, both of Portland, Maine. Beth was a graduate of what was at the time the Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia. She majored in French, and spent her junior year in Paris, where she lived with the family of Jacques Chirac, who later would become prime minister and president of France, as well as Mayor of Paris. Beth had a career in corporate communications but left the corporate world to pursue her career as a painter. At that time, she began a decades-long summer residency on Monhegan Island, where her aunt had built a cottage in the 1960s, and where Beth had purchased a cottage in 1989. Beth had in recent years lived in Alexandria, Virginia, and in Chestertown and Baltimore, Maryland. Beth was currently a resident of Washington, D.C. She maintained studios in Washington as well as on Monhegan. Beth was a lover and supporter of the arts. In Washington she was a longtime supporter of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. On Monhegan she volunteered at the Monhegan Museum, curating a show devoted to Rockwell Kent’s work on the island – the opening show in the re-constructed house of the assistant lighthouse keeper. For many years she was a member of Women Artists of Monhegan Island. Beth loved the culture of France. She made many trips to paint the landscapes of southern France and visited Paris on many occasions to enjoy the art and music of that city. Beth loved opera, and for many years had season tickets at the Kennedy Center. In addition to being a passionate lover of the arts and music, she loved animals. Her beloved cat, Cally, died in the crash. In addition to her brothers Robert and William, and her cousins John Paul and Naomi, Beth is survived by her first cousin, Nancy Buergelt and her husband Claus Buergelt of Gainesville, Florida; her first cousin Glenn Hovemann and his wife Muffy Weaver, of North San Juan, California, their children Anisa, Oren, Sarita, and Naveen, and grandchildren; and her first cousin, Dianne Light of Grass Valley, California. Beth was loved by her family and friends and will be very much missed. Friends may wish to make a memorial contribution to one of Beth’s favored charitable organizations. These included The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203; Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030; and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 424 E. 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128-6804 Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home of Portland.