Elizabeth "Beth" Anne Corzine Willhite, aged 70, passed away peacefully on November 3, 2025, surrounded by her loving family at a hospital in Clackamas County, Oregon.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 11th at Assumption Christian Church with visitation at 10:00 a.m. and funeral service at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Brock Eckert will be presiding. Burial will follow in Greenwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Assumption Christian Church or Assumption Railway Park for a memorial in her honor.

Born on November 24, 1954, in Taylorville, Illinois, Beth was raised by her devoted parents,Robert and Shirley Corzine. Her roots in agriculture go deep in Illinois, where her family has farmed the same land for generations. She applied the Midwestern values and work ethic she learned from her parents throughout her life.

She was firmly part of the farm land. Her heritage, the community she was raised in, and her faith never faltered. She never forgot where she was from.

She pursued her education at the University of Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in forestry and a master's degree at the University of Idaho in forest entomology. On June 25, 1977, she married Mark Willhite at the Assumption Christian Church in Assumption, Illinois, where she and her family were long standing members.

In 1979, the couple relocated to Roseburg, Oregon and welcomed three children, Allegra (1981), Dalen (1984) and Matthew (1984). They raised their children on a farm near Silverton, Oregon, where Beth tended to a prolific garden, raised pygmy goats, hand-sewed Halloween costumes, and volunteered as a 4-H instructor, all in addition to working as a full-time forest entomologist. In 1995, the family moved to Sandy, Oregon to be closer to Mark and Beth's work. Beth designed the family's home from top to bottom, set among the tall trees she loved.

She had an incredible compassion for others and made connections with people wherever she went. Her unlimited capacity for love and friendship resulted in a wide circle of friends and family who will miss her dearly.

While many of her happiest times were when she was with family or friends, she also deeply loved her profession and took great joy in her work. Beth worked for the US Forest Service for over 40 years, and counted the friendships she gained there on equal footing with her many professional accomplishments. Outside of work, her hobbies were numerous and underscored by a deep appreciation of the natural world. She enjoyed hiking, gardening, traveling, cooking, baking, pottery, and many, many other projects.

She is survived by her husband, Mark, and their three children: Allegra Willhite, Dalen (Kerry) Willhite, and Matthew (Andrea) Willhite; her step-mother, Carolyn Corzine; her siblings, Kathy (Dan) Wormhoudt, Randy (Susan) Corzine, Guy (Trisha) Corzine, Jill (R.D.) Waddington, Curt (Dawnna) Corzine, and Tammy (Mike) Ashby; as well as her four Willhite grandsons, Elian, Kael, Sawyer, and Reid. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bob and Shirley Lee Trulock Corzine.

Beth's life was a testament to her love for family, friends, and nature, and we were so lucky to have known her.