Elizabeth "Beth" Larner

Elizabeth Kay “Beth” Kugler Larner, age 76, passed away on November 14th, 2025, in Schertz, Texas.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 21, 2025 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Uvalde, Texas.  Interment will follow at 3 p.m. at Mission Park North in San Antonio.  

She was born on December 14th, 1948, in Galveston, Texas, to Robert and Betty Kugler.Beth married the love of her life, Tommy Larner, on May 22nd, 1970, in Abilene, Texas. They shared 55 years of devoted marriage and a lifetime of ministry together.

She is survived by her husband Tommy; sons Matthew Larner and Joel Larner; and two beloved grandsons, Caleb Larner and Jacob Larner. She is also survived by her older brother and sister-in-law, David Scott and Beverly Kugler; her older sister, Anna Lee Chanis; and her brother-in-law, Kenneth Larner.

Beth is preceded in death by her son Robert Wayne Larner; her parents, Robert and Betty Kugler; and her parents-in-law, Wayne and Vivian Larner.

Beth graduated from Cheyenne Central High School in 1967 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hardin-Simmons University in 1971. She later completed a Master of Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1998.During the early years of Tommy’s pastorates in the communities surrounding Abilene, Beth faithfully served in many roles—playing piano, directing choir, teaching, encouraging, and supporting the people of each congregation. Between 1971 and 1975, she became the devoted mother of her three boys.In July of 1981, Tommy and Beth were appointed as missionaries with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board). Their first assignment was in Ecuador, preceded by intensive Spanish language studies in Costa Rica. Over the next 35 years, they served across Ecuador, Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana, Mexico, and Lima, Peru. Beth led by example everywhere she went, sharing Christ’s love through both word and action. Her kindness, creativity, and sincerity made lifelong friends in every place she served.After retiring from the IMB in December 2015, Beth and Tommy returned to the United States and moved to Uvalde, Texas, in 2016. There they continued ministry in a new capacity, supporting a network of 43 Baptist churches in the surrounding region. They officially retired in December 2023 and moved to Schertz, Texas. Yet even in retirement, Beth continued to minister faithfully alongside Tommy as he served as interim pastor at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Kyle, Texas, right up until her final months.

Beth was an excellent educator, gifted in teaching both children and adults. She passed on her love of music, learning, and creating to her sons and grandchildren. Throughout her life, she expressed her creativity through cross-stitch, quilting, and other handmade arts, blessing many with the work of her hands. Her compassion, gentle spirit, and servant’s heart touched everyone who knew her.Beth was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2013, and her family is grateful that its progression was slow, allowing meaningful years of connection and ministry together.

Matthew 25:21

“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord.”