Anneliese R. McBeth

Anneliese McBeth was born 6 October 1946 to Hermann and Maria Gerlach (Nee Bohlander) in Langenselbold, Germany. She was soon followed by a brother, Manfred Gerlach, who became a lifelong friend and confidante. The Bohlander family was large and close knit with Anne spending a lot of time with her grandparents, Wilhelm and Caroline Bohlander. Caroline was a formidable matriarch, and by all accounts Anne followed her “Oma’s” example.

Her uncles, Heinrich and Wilhelm Bohlander were also early influences in Anne’s life. Although he was always referred to as “Onkel Heine,” Heinrich filled a big brother role. Wilhelm, on the other hand, was not much older than Anne and she viewed herself as his contemporary. She would tag along on dates with Wilhelm and his future bride “Tante Christa” and was intrigued by Christa’s high heels. Anne later borrowed them for “stepping out” which often resulted in arguments with her mother and Oma. Anne loved to play “Cupid” by passing love notes between Wilhelm and Krista.

Anne attended school in Langenselbold where Onkel Wilhelm reported she was constantly on the go and often knocked over the neighbor’s trash cans in her haste to get places. She did well in school, though by her teacher’s and her own account, was always spending too much time talking and minding other’s business. She loved learning and this was reflected throughout her life as she pursued further learning for herself and her children. After successfully completing school, she did an apprenticeship as an administrative assistant with the Socialist Party.

At age 18 she met and married an American GI and had her first son, Rick, who became the light of her life. They emigrated to New York City where she worked as a secretary at the German Consulate. After a year, she and Rick headed back to Germany but not before detouring thru Houston where she made some lifelong friends. Anne made friends wherever she went.

Back in Germany her skills as a bilingual administrative assistant soon landed her a job with the U.S. Army as an executive secretary at the Jaeger Kaserne in Aschaffenburg, Germany. One day a young lieutenant from the 9th Engineer Battalion wandered into her office and in her outgoing, customer friendly fashion she smiled and actually spoke to him. 1LT Bill McBeth was immediately in love with the beautiful and outgoing German girl and after a few hiccups they were engaged to be married.

Getting married was not easy! For reasons that were never clear, the U.S. government wouldn’t approve it in Germany but allowed it in Denmark, so Anne took charge. She found Tondern, a town in Denmark that was a sort of Las Vegas of Europe, and on 13 February 1975 they were married! The couple later married again in a military ceremony at the large Lutheran church in Aschaffenburg and celebrated a third time back in Bill’s hometown of Gordon, Nebraska.

By November 1975, Anne was expecting her second child. Bill had to go to Stuttgart to an important – so he said - staff meeting so he dropped Anne of at the hospital in Aschaffenburg in the morning and came back in the evening the father of Ian, another light of ‘sAnne’s life! This was a pattern Anne and Bill established for childbirth!

In June of 1976 the family of four left active duty and headed to Manhattan, Kansas and Kansas State University with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. As always, Anne’s indomitable spirit and love of people allowed her and her family to thrive in Manhattan. She started out with Taco Johns at $1.40 an hour and rapidly moved up to a local doughnut shop/bakery as the night baker which fit her family lifestyle. She loved baking and was a big hit with the early morning coffee crowd, many of whom became regulars and enjoyed her lively banter first thing in the day! In her “spare” time, she headed over to the Education Center and got her GED, maintaining her lifelong commitment to learning. Over the summer the family went back to Gordon where she quickly became a favorite checker at Shald’s Super Market. Wherever she worked she had a positive impact on those she met and her employer’s bottom line.

Early on in Vet School another huge event came along! Her first daughter, Eleanor, was born in August of 1978. Eleanor was born over summer break in Gordon and besides her Dad, is the only real Nebraskan in the family! In what had become a family tradition, Bill bugged out to cook supper at home and missed the big event.

After putting her family through Vet School, Anne and family were off to Wray, CO – one of the best moves of her life! Bill had been hired by Dr Tom Parks from Yuma to start the Sun Prairie Vet practice in Wray. The new practice needed a secretary – and quite frankly a jack of all trade’s veterinary assistant – and Anne fit the bill. She swiftly became the big wheel of the practice and in many ways was the face of Sun Prairie Vet in Wray! Clients loved and respected her and she enjoyed them.

Life at Sun Prairie Vet and in Wray were busy and by January of 1985 her second daughter, Aislinn, was born. Bill was determined to break the mold and be in attendance but was quickly informed by Anne that he wasn’t needed at all and to come pick them up when she was done. When he showed up later in his vet truck with his dog Snoopy riding shotgun, Anne drew the line and sent him home for a real ride!

Anne always valued learning and education and went out of her way to make sure her children and grandchildren, especially the girls, had every opportunity to gain the higher learning she had so longed for. In true Anne fashion she also found a way and enrolled in English Composition with Morgan County Community College completing English Comp 1 and 2 with all As. In Comp 2 she wrote a research paper titled “Calloused Hands, Calloused Hearts: Women In the West”. She was always so impressed by frontier women – she could have been one herself – and her writing reflects this. In one of her assignments, she was asked to list things she loved and things she hated and the lists pretty well sum her up. Among the many loves were laughter and a good joke, her kids and watching their constant changes, and people and visiting with them. Among the fewer hates were rude and inconsiderate people, the need for nursing homes, people who don’t pay their bills, and toilets without paper.

Anne loved the Wray and Haigler communities. She was on the first board of directors of the Wray Rehabilitation and Activities Center and remained an active supporter, raising funds for it all her life. She was an active faithful member of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in Haigler, NE. She wished she had been able to learn to swim as a child, so she became a huge promoter of the Wray Swim Team with each of her children.

In 2003 Bill and Anne had the opportunity to sell their veterinary practice and move on to the next adventure. Anne welcomed the change from practice, but the catch was they had to move camp to Pennsylvania. And move camp she did. Bill bought a house back east, but Anne wanted to keep her house in Wray, so that’s what they did. They ended up living in rural Pennsylvania near New Holland for 15 years without ever really leaving Wray and the high plains she had learned to love. While Bill worked for Pfizer Animal Health, Anne snagged a job with a Mennonite Dry Cleaner in New Holland and almost immediately became a hit with the staff and customers. Her time on the east coast was memorable. She especially enjoyed camping out at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, walking along the Delaware beaches picking up sea shells and yard sales! In 2018 they retired and moved back to the home, community, and friends she loved in Wray.

In 2020 tragedy struck and Anne lost her beloved son, Ian. While she gained strength through her pride in her family, the success of her children, her wonderful grandchildren, and a great grandchild, nothing was ever the same. Her heart was broken. She passed away at the hospital in Wray after a short illness on 23 July 2026 surrounded by her loving family. She will always be remembered as a great Friend, Sister, Wife, Mom, Grandma and Oma, as someone willing to do the hard, difficult, uncomfortable things for her family and friends, and as a very brave “frontier woman” in her own right. She was an incredibly generous person with both her time and resources. And above all she loved people.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Bill McBeth; her children, Rick Fernandez and his wife Cindy, with their children Michael Fernandez (wife Jessi and son Noah) and Hannah Fernandez (son Korbin Ruby); Eleanor McBeth and her husband Bob Alexander, with their children Jack Alexander and Maisie Alexander; and Aislinn McBeth and her husband Chris Schultz. She is also survived by her daughter‑in‑law, Bowdie McBeth, wife of the late Ian McBeth, and their children Abigail Diemert (husband Jackson), Calvin McBeth, and Ella McBeth. In addition, she is survived by her brother, Manfred Gerlach, and his wife Natalia, parents of Thomas and Dorothee; her uncle, Wilhelm Bohlander; and many beloved cousins. She was preceded in death by her son, Ian McBeth; her parents, Hermann and Maria Gerlach; and numerous aunts and uncles.

To view the livestream of this service, click on the following link: https://together.oneroomstreaming.com/4ADSEL