Date of Birth: 09/05/1953

Date of Death: 05/09/2026

Burial and Interment Information: Private

Obituary and Services:

Elizabeth (Beth) Ann Bystry, age 72, of Mount Pleasant, SC passed away on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at home, with her husband, following a long battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband, Mark Bystry, Sr. of Mount Pleasant, SC; two children, Mark (Lisa) Bystry, Jr. of Mount Pleasant, SC and Bridget Bystry of Berwyn Heights, MD; grandchildren Aryana, Beau and Kayleigh Jane Bystry of Mount Pleasant; mother Mary Jane Gutwald and brother Bernard Gutwald of Lancaster, PA, sister Mary Kay McKenna of Lafayette Hill, PA; brothers Peter (Eileen) Gutwald of Fallston, MD, David (Karen) Gutwald of Huntington, MD and John (Katie) Gutwald of Clarksville, MD, and brother-in-law Rogelio Uriostegui of Chicago, IL as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She was predeceased by her father John Gutwald, her sisters Margaret Uriostegui, Susan (Gilbert) Jones, and Francis Smith.

She was born on September 5th, 1953, to John and Jane Gutwald in South Bend, IN. She and her family moved to Virginia where she spent most of her youth and graduated Giles High School as a skilled high diver and pianist in Pearisburg, VA in 1971.

Beth grew up in a house of 9 children born over the course of 14 years. In that house she was known as Beth Ann. She was the second oldest and often given the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. She might have only stood a mighty 5ft, but she knew how demand the attention of a room, even if it meant belting out a few lines from her favorite show tune to do so. In a time of need she knew how to stand tall and be fierce. In college she began to become her own. Beth attended Greensboro College for music and then Hartford Community College where she met her future husband. They both went on to attend the University of Maryland and she graduated May 1976, a place that has become a hallmark of growth in the family (where Mark Jr. and Bridget both graduated and their grandchildren have received all their college football tracksuits). Here she was known by simply Beth, or to her husband, Elizabeth.

On December 26, 1976, she married the love of her life. While they spent their honeymoon sick and broken down in Atlanta, without a doubt, they had love on their side. This was where their near 50-year adventure began.

Beth juggled raising the children with starting a career at a bank in Severna Park, Maryland. 

On weekends the family would often travel to some part of the Chesapeake Bay to be on their boat crabbing, fishing, and meeting up with friends and family. After Mark was transferred to a corporate role in Westchester, New York, the family moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, and she continued her career working in Human Resources at NAC Reinsurance (later XL Capital). She crawled and clawed her way into the corporate world, finding herself very adept at the human resources realm. She was amazingly talented at talking about re-insurance in any social situation. She spent the next 20 years in this line of work, respected and coveted. She was able to travel around the globe with her newly retired husband on her arm, dancing through London, Singapore, Bermuda, France, Brazil, Ireland, and beyond. She resigned this role as an Executive Senior Vice President of Human Resources. In this era of her life, she was known as Mom to Mark and Bridget, Mrs. B to their children’s friends and Darth Vader at her workplace. Which of the three she regarded most fondly is debated. While she spent over 20 years in Connecticut she maybe never completely left Maryland. Her and Mark kept a boat in Solomons Island for many years, where they would come for a fun weekend to welcome friends, go on fishing tournaments with their children or focus their energy on remodeling and cleaning up after a weekend of blue crabs and libations. When they weren’t doing this, they were sauntering off with the kids to the most exotic places, reportedly to help Mark Jr.s’ alopecia, although some might wonder if it had something to do with the free-flowing rum punch, shenanigans (ask Mark Jr. or Bridget) and non-stop dance parties.

Years later, as the careers wound down, the cards were shuffled again and Mark and Beth found themselves leaving Connecticut in search of something new (and warmer). That boat that was so famous in all the most terrifying adventure stories, once again took a leading role as their haven after they sold their home in Connecticut and virtually became homeless/explorers of the eastern shoreline. They eventually landed in a place that could arguably be the southern copy of Fairfield, Connecticut: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Here Beth again gained a new name, Nana (or if you read her husband’s Siri drafted texts she was “Donna”). After many visits, Mark and Lisa and their children decided to join them in Mount Pleasant. Not quite neighbors, but just a mile and a half away they settled and Beth was able to truly know her three grandchildren. Nana was always good for a party, even with the wee ones. She diligently had a meal ready for the kids when they arrived, the formal dining room for the holidays and special occasions, and the ready to go hot plates for the casual parties. She was always ready to celebrate, was there to cheer on her granddaughter at a performance (red roses in hand), or party in Atlanta at one of Mark Sr., innumerable high school reunions. She loved to garden, which mostly constituted watching Mark Sr. dig in the sun and enjoying the fruits of his labor, particularly the fresh tomatoes and scallions; sitting at her heirloom piano with her grandkids; and any chance to sit on boat and read a good book.

Beth Ann, Beth, Darth Vader, Mrs. B, Mom, Elizabeth (as only her husband calls her), Nana…these were all her. Quick witted, musically inclined, highly opinionated, charismatic, and a ready to celebrate woman. She was a force of nature, a woman that was adored by many, and will be missed beyond words. May she rest in peace.

The viewing for Elizabeth with be at Low Country Mortuary from 1:00PM-3:30PM on Saturday May 16th in North Charleston hosted by the honorable Coakley Hilton and his fabulous staff.

The family will receive friends and family at Mark Jr. and Lisa’s home immediately following the viewing.

In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made to MUSC Hollings Cancer Center (https://hollingscancercenter.musc.edu/about/giving) or the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org).