Beth Coen

Beth Coen, 36, of Creston passed away Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, at her home in Creston.

Mass of Christian burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Creston. Father Kenneth Halbur Jr. will officiate. Interment will be private in Calvary Cemetery in Creston. Open visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at Pearson Family Funeral Service and Cremation Center, 809 W. Montgomery St., in Creston. Family will receive friends from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Memorials may be directed to C.A.R. E. (Creston Animal Rescue Effort) or St. Malachy School. Online condolences may be left at www.pearsonfuneralhomes.com.

Maria Beth Coen, the daughter of Daniel Mark and Connie Irene (Roberts) Coen, was born May 29, 1981, in Creston. Beth was educated in St. Malachy Catholic School and Creston High School, where she graduated with the class of 2000. Beth attended Southwestern Community College in Creston and then transferred to Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. She graduated in 2005 with an associate degree in photography. Beth returned to Creston and worked as a dental assistant and professional photographer.

There are some souls on this earth that just seem to shine a little brighter, and Beth was undoubtedly one. As a little girl, Beth could find a stage anywhere and her very presence would light up the room. And as the years passed, not much would change. Beth had a beautiful spirit and a loving heart that held everyone she met in unconditional regard. She was a fighter for love and equality for all, and she didn’t know a stranger. She made us laugh with her shenanigans and she made us brave in ways we didn’t always understand.

Beth was passionate about her photography, and the lens through which she saw the world will forever inspire us. She left so many beautiful pieces of herself in her work. She was a lover of her cats, Bootzie and Des, and had a heart for animals. She was an avid sports fan, and we’ll have no choice but to continue to cheer on her Vikings, and of course the Hawks. We will miss the way she could make the room stand still with her second-to-none performance of “Billie Jean,” and have no doubt she is surrounded by a circle of angels who are right now marveling at her moves.

Beth was a devoted daughter, sister and auntie, and she loved her family, especially her nieces and nephews, with all her heart. We are so grateful for the time we had with her. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Beth is survived by her parents, Dan and Connie Coen of Creston; her sister, Sara Coen of Waukee; her brothers, Scott (Kim) Coen of Creston and Pat (Amy) Coen of Ft. Collins, Colorado; her paternal grandmother, Dora Coen of Creston; her maternal grandmother, Delores Roberts of Creston; her nieces and nephews, Gabe, Griffin, Grant, Keely, Shaylee, Kami and Brennan; and numerous loving aunts, uncles and many cousins. May God grant comfort and strength to those who mourn.

Preceding Beth in death, was her paternal grandfather John Coen; her maternal grandfather Ed Roberts and her cousins, Jill and Jenny Coen and Benjamin McGrath.