Beth Janette Haas

The Southern Illinoisan, Sunday, December 3, 2017 CARBONDALE — Beth Haas died in Herrin Hospital on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. She was born June 4, 1924, in Minneapolis. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Minnesota and then went to New York City for two years and gained her master’s degree in education from Columbia while also doing peace work for the Fellowship of Reconciliation. After a brief time teaching in Arizona, she returned to Minnesota and worked as a secretary in the Zoology Department of her Alma Mater. She married zoology professor, Dr. Hermann Haas, in 1961. They moved to Carbondale in 1963. Beth became secretary in the dean’s office in the College of Liberal Arts at SIU and later in the History Department. She retired in 1993. Beth’s many long-lasting friendships and her love of opera, literature, science, and history filled her life. She was an active member of the Lorelei, the SIU Choral Union, the French club, and several book groups. Well-known for her cooking skills, she will be remembered for her dinner parties and the cakes she made to celebrate the birthdays of faculty and friends. Beth was preceded in death by her husband; her brother, Karl; and niece, Mary. She is survived by her nieces, Ann Stere and Sarah Stensgaard; her stepsons, Nikolaus and Ulrich Haas; as well as three cats. A memorial gathering will be at 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, in Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship. Gifts in her honor may be made to the Humane Society of Southern Illinois, P.O. Box 291, Carbondale, Illinois 62903. Meredith Funeral Home in Carbondale assisted the family with arrangements.