Cover photo for Elizabeth Doty's Obituary
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1942 Elizabeth 2021

Elizabeth Doty

April 6, 1942 — September 20, 2021

Candler

Beth Doty, activist and retired Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), age 79, passed away at CarePartners Hospice in Asheville, NC on Thursday, May 27, 2021.

Beth was born April 6, 1942 in Hartford, Connecticut to Stanley and Helen Ingraham of Bristol Connecticut.  She and her sister Edith grew up in Bristol, Connecticut attending Patterson Elementary School and Bristol High School.  The family moved to Laurinburg, North Carolina in 1959.  Beth attended Laurinburg High School for her senior year, where she graduated in 1960.  She enrolled at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (WC) in 1960.  In 1964 she graduated from the Woman’s College (UNCG) with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology.  While in college in Greensboro NC she became involved with the Civil Rights movement, which defined much of her interest and concern over her remaining life.  She felt committed to those who were marginalized in our society and in the world.  Beth was an avid tennis player most of her life and loved all sports.

She has two sons, Arthur “Murphy” Doty, residing in Asheville North Carolina with his wife Amanda, and their children Emma, Ellie, Wylan, Luke, and Kimsey; Christopher Ingraham Doty, residing in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife Laurie and their two children Max and Brooklyn. Murphy and Chris’s father resides in Pompano Beach, FL.

Beth previously lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina after graduation from college and worked at Duke Hospital. She also lived in Martinsville, Virginia, Chattanooga Tennessee, and Wilmington Delaware.  She retired to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in 2007.  While living in Chattanooga Tennessee, she was active in the League of Women Voters, The NAACP, NOW, and numerous other organizations.

Beth spent many hours, while raising her two sons, volunteering, or working for nonprofits who were dedicated to the principles of peace and justice, and open and accessible government. In Wilmington, Delaware, she worked for Common Cause of Delaware as an organizer and later became Executive Director.

An active member of the Presbyterian Church USA, as an elder, she experienced a call to ministry in the mid 1980’s while attending the PCUSA General Assembly and graduated from Lancaster Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.  Ordained in 1992 in New Castle Presbytery, she served four Presbyterian churches over the next 15 years in New Castle County and in Maryland.  Near the end of her ministry she founded a non-profit ministry in a low-income community, close to one of her churches.

In retirement, Beth moved to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware where she lived for 12 years with her partner, Merrijane Pierce, who passed away in 2016.   In Sussex, Delaware, Beth was active in the Democratic Party. In 2012, she was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.  She was also actively involved in All Saints Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While in Rehoboth she was President of the West Rehoboth Community Land Trust for several years and was active in democratic politics at the state and county level.   In 2018 she moved to Asheville North Carolina, to be closer to her oldest son, Murphy, and his family.

Beth is survived by her two sons Murphy (Amanda) and Christopher (Laurie), her 7 grandchildren Emma, Ellie, Wylan, Luke, Kimsey, Max and Brooklyn, her sister Edith Burge and her husband Robert Burge, her niece, Kristen and her husband Brian, her nephew Rob and partner Lisa. She was blessed to have many dear friends throughout her life.

A service of celebration will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 11:00 AM.  Her remains will be interred at St. Georges Chapel in Harbeson, Delaware immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following: West Rehoboth Community Land Trust; Meeting Ground in Elkton, Maryland; All Saints Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; New Hope Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina; or, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry.

The care of Ms. Doty has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Homes of Candler, North Carolina.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Elizabeth Doty, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Celebration of Life

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)

All Saints Episcopal Church

18 Olive Ave, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

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