ELISABETH AVERY CLARKE 1954-2016March 13, 1954 - October 23, 2016 Elisabeth Avery "Betsy" Clarke passed away peacefully on October 23, 2016, in her home on the Monteith family ranch near Salado, Texas. She died of cancer that was diagnosed less than two weeks before her passing. True to her spirit, she crooned to the tunes of Willie Nelson as she left the hospital on the day of the diagnosis. In her bold and independent manner of thinking, she decided to spend her last days on the ranch to which she had returned throughout her life to find peace, solace, and joy.Betsy was born on March 13, 1954. Her parents, Carolyn Monteith Clarke and William Stephens Clarke, adopted her as an infant and raised Betsy, together with her brother Stephen, on Saddlebrook, in the Memorial area of Houston. Tall, long limbed, and athletic, Betsy felt at home playing tennis, slalom skiing, or riding bareback. After graduating from Memorial High School, she followed in the footsteps of her beloved mother by attending Sweet Briar College and later graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.Betsy had a great zest for life, loved her family and friends with tremendous passion, and formed lifelong relationships kindled by her deep sense of loyalty and devotion to those she loved. She was as adept at gardening as she was at laying a table with linen, silver, crystal and china. Her skills were many, and she used them when called upon to help her friends, from running a Houston law office to being the nanny to her best friend's young children in Los Angeles. She laughed, celebrated, cried, commiserated, and remembered always what was important to her loved ones. Betsy was preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved brother Stephen Monteith Clarke. She is survived by her nephew Stephen Monteith Clarke II and wife Lizzie, and their two children Shepherd Stephens Clarke and Lyle Elizabeth Clarke, as well as many loving members of the Monteith and Clarke families. A private family ceremony will be held at the Monteith Ranch at a later date.