Elizabeth Louise "Beth" McShane

Died April 15, 2020 in her comfortable home at Friendship Village with family surrounding her. She was born September 15, 1928 in Clinton, Illinois, the daughter of Henry and Flossie (Sutton) Hamblen. After graduating with high honors from Clinton High School, she attended Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois before transferring to Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority there and keenly active in student affairs. Always an ardent promoter of social justice, she spent a summer in St. Louis working in a neighborhood-house. As a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, she shared in attempting to desegregate restaurants there. Again graduating with honors, she enrolled in McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, pursuing a Master's Degree in Church Social Work. There she met David McShane, whom she married in August 1951 at her home Presbyterian Church where she had been ordained as a Deacon. Graduating in 1952, they moved to Elkhart, Indiana to serve together at First Presbyterian Church. Beth founded the first State licensed Church sponsored pre-school nursery in the state. Their first child, Michael Henry, joined the family there in 1954. In 1955 they moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where her husband was called to serve as Presbyterian Pastor to Western Michigan College and Kalamazoo College. A daughter, Joy Marie (now Mrs. Tedd Oyler), was born during that time. Beth was invited to be a member of Faculty Dames at Western and was active in leading education opportunities in the church. Beth was also involved with social improvement organizations in the community. Happily, this led to their receiving into the family a foster daughter, Patricia Blaine, who was a tenth grader at Kalamazoo Central. In 1958, Dave accepted a call to lead the Presbyterian Campus Ministry Organization in Philadelphia. During that time, their third youngster, Miriam (now Mrs. James Beimer) was born. They lived in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania until 1960, when they happily returned to Kalamazoo, their favorite place to live. There, her husband joined the staff at First Presbyterian Church. Shortly before their return, their foster daughter Pat married Richard Giangulio. Soon after returning to Kalamazoo, she was blessed with their fourth child, Kathleen Anne. Again, Beth was involved in community affairs. She was deeply interested in the arts, especially painting, and became president of the Kalamazoo Art League. She served on the board of the Heegie Community Association, was secretary of the Michigan Association of Emotionally Disturbed Children, and a member of the Kalamazoo Child Guidance Clinic board. Beth's two favorite Bible verses were Micah 6:8 ...what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, and John 10:16, Jesus saying Other sheep have I, not of this fold. The other, every other, as one of God's children, deserves respect and justice. She was secretary of the Kalamazoo branch of the NAACP, taught craft classes at Ministry with Community, was president of Current Events Club (her favorite ladies' group), a volunteer reading instructor with first graders at Edison school, secretary of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, taught women's Bible study groups, and introduced Transactional Analysis to a group of Presbyterian ministers. Beth gave herself away creatively and happily. There was a shortage of psychiatric social workers, and she joined the Child Guidance Clinic staff. She soon became Director of Clinical Services, retiring 20 years later. Dave also retired and they bought a summer place at Wall Lake near Delton, Michigan and built a small house on Marco Island, Florida near where daughter Kathleen lives. They wintered there for fifteen years. On Marco, Beth had the chance to revel in her favorite hobby, seashells. She was stooping on the beach often and had a part-time job at a fine shell shop where she spent her meager wages on unique specimens. Always a nature lover, she became well acquainted with the riches of the Everglades. They spent two winters living in Naples, Florida in the Greystone Mobile Home Park, where her husband was the temporary minister. There, Beth was chairperson of the Hobby Club and secretary of the Activities Committee. After selling their Marco place, they moved back to Wall Lake until coming into Friendship Village in Kalamazoo fifteen years ago. Again Beth was busy as secretary and then president of the Resident Council, writer for the "Villager" in-house monthly paper, chairperson of Wake Up World (a social issues group), and serving on the Fund Development Committee. Crafting took the majority of spare time, pursuing counted cross stitching, beading, bag making and shell craft. She displayed in several area craft shows and once had her own kiosk in a Plainwell craft store. A hobby second to shelling was collecting miniature manger scenes. With the rest of the family, Beth spent the summer of 1979 in Ireland while her husband was serving a church there. The children gifted their parents with a week in Paris for their 50th anniversary. She also spent two weeks in the Middle East enjoying Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Israel. She was an avid reader and a well-received lecturer on subjects like "Shell and Tell: The Secret Life of Mollusks," and "My Brief Life as a Navajo." Her favorite service to others was spending four months in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, in a Presbyterian mission school teaching English to seventh graders. Living less than 100 yards from the South Pacific Ocean, her precious shells were abundant there. Serving the children of Vanuatu was a high point in her life. She gave a well-received lecture about that experience, "Pink People in Paradise" in several venues. Beth's only sibling, Virginia preceded her in death three years ago. In addition to the four children and Pat Giangulio, there are five grandchildren, Nicholas Beimer (wife Jane) and Katelyn Beimer (married to Grant Segur); and Joseph Curcie, Jackie Curcie and Alexandria Curcie, Kathleen's children. Three great grandchildren bless Beth's life: Paige and Mara Beimer, and Hazel Segur, who will miss their grandma mightily. A memorial service at Kalamazoo First Presbyterian Church will be held as soon as public gatherings are appropriate. Memorial gifts could be sent to the McShane Colloquium Fund at the church or to Friendship Village Greatest Needs Fund. Please visit Beth's personalized webpage for online guestbook or to leave a condolence. Arrangements were made by the Langeland Family Funeral Homes Burial & Cremation Services, 622 S Burdick St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. https://www.langelands.com