Beth Kronen

née Elizabeth Marie Riley, died peacefully Tuesday evening April 8th, 2014 at sunset. Born in Port Washington, NY July 14, 1925, Beth grew up in Great Neck and then graduated from Vassar College '43/44. She worked in New York City as a model and later in the travel department at Carrier Corporation where she met the adventurous and wonderful love of her life, John "Jack" Kronen. Jack and Beth married in Caracas, Venezuela February 7, 1955 where they started a family - Jack Jr, Ann and Dave. Tom joined the family soon after their move to Mexico City. They eventually settled their young family in Santa Barbara in 1963 where Beth helped Jack with his business as a lumber broker and introduced their children to a wide variety of sports, music lessons, a horse in the backyard, back-packing in the Sierras, ski trips to Mammoth, and many wonderful family camping trips across the western states in the family station wagon. Sailing on the Pachu, picnic dinners with a close circle of friends at Hope Ranch Beach as well as tennis games and bridge games at Birnam Wood Country Club added immeasurably to their lives. Beth was also an active and long time member of the Vassar Club of SB, the Garden Club and the Tick Tapers investment group.

She is pre-deceased by her beloved husband Jack Kronen in 1998, her sister Dorothy Ann O'Rielly in 2010 and survived by her adored brother J. Gregory Riley and his wife Carol of Lloyd's Neck, NY, in addition to her loving children, Jack and his wife Sue of Honolulu, HI, Ann of Malibu, CA, David and his wife Laura, of SB, and Tom and his wife Tammy of SB, and her nieces Pamela Gilbert of SB, Alix Rosenberg of Sunny Isles, FL, Elizabeth Bressel of Locust Valley, NY and Caitlyn Wardell of New York City and their families. Her joy was the frequent company of her 7 grandchildren - Greg, Steven, John Henry, Elsa, Sam, Claire and Cable and her great niece Alexandra. They embody her lively intelligence, her strong character and her love of life. She will be greatly missed. Her family wishes to thank the wonderful and thoughtful care she received at Casa Dorinda at the end of her journey. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Friendship Paddle, 920 Garden Street, Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 or The Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation/Casa Dorinda, 2253 Las Positas Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Services are pending.