Elizabeth (Beth) Ann Hostetler Berry, 86, died March 30, 2026, in Goshen, Ind. She was born Sept. 22, 1939, in Burton City, Ohio, to Harry Mervin Hostetler and Esther Ellen Hostetler. 

She will be remem­bered for the many lives she touched over her decades-long career in education, her passion for the Mennonite church community, her generous nurturing spirit and her peace and justice activism.

Beth grew up in Burton City, the youngest of four siblings. She was actively involved in her home congregation, Oak Grove Mennonite Church, and was valedictorian of her 1957 Orrville High School graduating class. She graduated from Goshen College in 1961 and earned a master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1965. She then returned to Goshen as a faculty member with a specialty in early childhood education.

In 1967, Beth was asked to direct a summer day camp program in Cleveland, Ohio, for Mennonite Voluntary Service, where she worked alongside Lee Roy Berry Jr. Their friendship evolved into a courtship, and they married at Oak Grove Mennonite Church on July 12, 1969.

Church leadership and a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion were central parts of Beth’s work and life. She was a writer for the Foundation (1979) and Jubilee (1996) Sunday school curricula for children. When she and Lee Roy joined Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship in 1980, she taught Sunday school, served as an elder, established Peace Club and served on the Christian Education Commission. She was a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference Nurture Commission. The relationships she cultivated are deeply felt and visibly present through the people she inspired.

She is survived by her husband, Lee Roy Berry Jr.; her children, Joseph Jonathan Berry (Karin Zemski), Malinda Elizabeth Berry (John Stoltzfus) and Anne Hostetler Berry; two grand­children; and her sister, Doris (James) Miller.