Beth Brigid Van Alystyne Ellis

Beth Brigid Van Alstyne Ellis passed away peacefully with her loving husband, son, and daughter by her side, on the morning of January 17th, 2026 after an incredibly brave and painful fight against metastatic head and neck cancer.

Beth came into the world much like the resplendently bright and captivating fireworks that preceded her on July 5, 1953. She was born to the late Clayton and Anna (Halloran) Van Alstyne, and grew up with her three siblings, roaming the back fields, woods and creeks of Columbia County New York. Beth saw much of the world before she even turned 18, moving with her family abroad to The Hague Netherlands for her high school years, where she not only perfected the perfect layup in basketball, but alsolearned to appreciate the art of Vespa riding, skiing in the Alps, other cultures and the miracle of a delicately blossomed tulip and frites served in a paper cone. She traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East with her family, and then fearlessly moved back to the United States by herself to attend nursing school.

Unsurprisingly, Beth's intellect and incredible ability to connect with other people propelled her to not only earn her RN diploma, but also to become one of the youngest charge nurses to run the entire psychiatric ward at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA by the ripe age of 22. It was here among the halls of the mentally ill that she met (appropriately) the love of her life, David Ellis. As a young medical student, David agreed to go on the best date of his life to the worst viola recital either had witnessed, and the two were soon married thereafter. They tied the knot in 1977 at the historic Dutch farmhouse museum, the Luykas Van Alen house in Kinderhook New York, where they settled and raised their family.

Beth's greatest love was her family, and she showed it in every way imaginable. When her youngest son Myles was born with profound disabilities, she dedicated her entire life to caring for him at home and was the catalyst for his growth, success and ability to thrive against all the odds, until his sudden passing in 2020. During his lifetime she forged many wonderful relationships with the people at the Center for Disability Services in Albany, where Myles attended school and later adult dayhab.

She taught her son Colin, and daughter Georgia to appreciate all creatures, hosting a menagerie of animals from stray cats to stabled horses and dogs, and how to be the steward of a home and farmstead with a rich local history and its accompanying 100 acres of woods and farmland. She taught everyone the importance of human connection, transparency of thought and feeling, the necessity of an educated mind, the gift of art and music, the appreciation of well honed humor, and the skill of making something out of nothing, especially a beautiful dinner for friends and family. She was a designer, master gardener, floral arranger, spectacular cook, and lover of birds. She inspired all who knew her, and was the other half to her loving, kind, creative and thoughtful husband, David, with whom she spent much of her time on the coast of Maine in addition to Kinderhook.

Beth is survived by her husband, Dr. David Ellis of Kinderhook NY, her son Dr. Colin Ellis (Mary Frances Ford Ellis) of Slingerlands NY, her daughter Georgia Casolaro (Nick Casolaro) of Hopkinton NH, and her four beloved grand children (Roan, Dashell, Freya and Thaddeus). She was predeceased by her son, Myles Ellis of Kinderhook NY in 2020. She is also survived by other loving family and friends.

Memorial donations may be made to the Center for Disability Services Albany NY, in honor of Beth and her son Myles. The family is planning a memorial for Beth in the spring and also wishes to extend their gratitude to the wonderful physicians and medical professionals at St. Peter's Hospital and the ENT department at Albany Medical Center. Beth loved and was adored by all of those who cared for her, because helping and caring for others was her identity and life's purpose.

Arrangements are with the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY.