Marilynn Knippa Beto

BETO, MARILYNN KNIPPA (1922 ~ 2023). The following is an obituary for Marilynn Knippa, spouse of former Texas Department of Corrections Board Member George Beto. The obituary was provided by Weed, Corley, Fish Funeral Home of Austin.

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21

On January 10, 2023, Marilynn Frances Knippa Beto of Austin, Texas, entered into the company of her Lord.

Marilynn was born in Austin, Texas, on August 3, 1922, the daughter of A. C. Knippa and Margaretha Luker Knippa. She graduated from Austin High School and attended The University of Texas.

On March 5, 1943, in Austin, Texas, Marilynn married George J. Beto, then a professor at Concordia College and later its president. During the first nine years of their marriage, they had four children – Dan, Lynn, Mark, and Beth. Their marriage was a great partnership, with Marilynn managing the affairs of the house, while George assumed positions of increasing responsibility, initially within the Lutheran Church and later in the criminal justice system.

Like her husband, Marilynn believed that we are placed on this earth to “serve God and our fellow man,” and she took that mission to heart and pursued it daily for as long as she could.

In addition to her parents, Marilynn is preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Dr. George J. Beto; her daughter, Lynn Vann; her sisters, Evelyn Behnken, Doris Knippa, Elfrieda Eitelman, Irma Koehneke, and Margaret Best; her brother Edgar Knippa; her brothers-in-law, Ernest Best, Art Eitelman, Rev. Martin L. Koehneke, Rev. J. W. Behnken, Jr.; sister-in-law, Frances Wukasch Knippa; and sister-in-law, Evelyne Brown Knippa; and her first grandson, Andrew Paul Beto.

She is survived by her children, Dan and Donna Beto of Bryan, Mark and Shelley Beto of Austin, and Beth and Jack O’Donnell of Austin; her grandchildren, Lara and Matthew Kessler of Odessa, Katherine and Marco Albanese of Brooklyn, New York, Timothy Beto and Bryan Comstock of Austin, Kathleen O’Donnell of Austin, and Michael O’Donnell of Austin; and four great grandsons, Charlie and Zachary Kessler of Odessa, and Luca and Oscar Albanese of Brooklyn, New York.

All members of the Beto family express the deepest appreciation to the staff of Brookdale Senior Living–West Lake, including Brookdale Assisted Living, Brookdale at Home, and Brookdale Hospice, now St. David’s Hospice and Family Care, for their 15 years of expert and loving care for Marilynn.

Following a private burial in the Texas State Cemetery, a memorial service will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1500 West Anderson Lane, in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 2:30 PM, with the Rev. Kevin Westergren officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Concordia University Texas, 11400 Concordia University Drive, Austin, Texas 78726 for the “George J. Beto Memorial Scholarship”; Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1500 West Anderson Lane, Austin, Texas 78757 for “Church Workers Scholarship Fund”; Lutheran Hour Ministries, 660 Mason Ridge Center Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63141; or to the charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 2620 South Congress, Austin, Texas 78704 (512-442-1446).