Bethany Moon

Bethany Noel Moon of Lakeview, AR, was born on December 11, 1978, to Kevin and Althea Moon in Columbus, IN. The family moved to Colorado in 1981. Bethany was born an adventurer and grew up in the mountains of Colorado, a love she carried with her throughout her life. She spent many happy days hiking with her dad, mom, sister, and dog. When she wasn’t hiking, she could be found playing in the woods or down the street at their beloved summer camp.

Bethany’s love for music began early, as she started guitar lessons at seven years old. Her teacher recognized her natural singing ability and encouraged her to sing and play- and sing she did!. By third grade, Bethany knew she wanted to be a missionary, either to Russia or Bulgaria. She would lie in the snow for hours to acclimate herself to the cold climates of those countries. Beth always loved children and was a devoted babysitter and nanny. Every child in Beth's care knew they were her favorite. She took them on adventures, created crazy games, and occasionally needed to call the paramedics when the adventures got a little too wild.

At fifteen, Bethany began caring for an elderly woman in town. She treated Ms. Virginia with the same tenderness as any experienced nurse would. Thanks to Bethany and the Moon family, Ms. Virginia was able to live out her days surrounded by love.

As an older teen, Bethany became passionate about her faith and dedicated years of her life to serving the Lord. At eighteen, she started working in children's ministry, helping to write VBS curriculum, training teams, and offering VBS programs to local churches. She loved telling kids about Jesus, and in skits, she was always the funny one, adored by the kids for her humor, storytelling, and song leadership. Beth also went to clown school and became Arabella the Clown, wowing children (and adults) with her juggling, magic tricks, face painting, balloon animals, and unicycle skills.

Bethany spent two summers ministering to vacationing families through children’s programs at resorts in the Twin Lakes area. When she was twenty, she moved to Memphis to further her training in children's ministry in public schools. After spending a month there, she moved to inner-city Little Rock to work with families and children. Memphis stayed in her heart, and she returned there to serve in Gallaway, TN, where she spent countless months loving on street children and sharing Jesus' love in classrooms.

Bethany’s heart for missions led her to travel extensively. She journeyed down the Amazon River with AMOR Missions in Brazil five times, serving as the lead for children’s programs. She spent six months in rural Taiwan teaching English and sharing Jesus while also leading worship at her local church. She worked for twelve months at a ministry center in Oklahoma City focused on sharing Jesus with schoolchildren. Bethany also lived in Moscow, Russia, for six months, ministering to orphans, and spent eight months in Australia managing a ministry center’s kitchen-she was a fantastic cook!

As a house parent at the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in St. Louis for a year, Bethany cared for troubled teens. Many of the young women she helped continue to remember the profound impact she had on their lives. Throughout her life, Bethany continued to serve in her local church, playing her guitar, singing, and ensuring that everyone who walked through the door felt welcome and included.

Bethany took her role as “Auntie” seriously, investing time, money, and love into the children in her life. The kids knew how deeply she loved them. Her last mission was helping organize a Christmas concert in December 2024 to raise money for mission work in Brazil. Over four thousand dollars were raised, and Bethany personally filled a fifty-gallon trash bag with toys for the children in Brazil. The joy on their faces as they received gifts from someone they had never met but could feel the love of Jesus through was infectious.

Bethany graduated from SMS with a degree in dietetics. Health and education were important to her, and she loved helping others improve their health through proper nutrition and exercise. As a personal trainer and exercise class leader, she was particularly fond of teaching senior fitness classes, as they always laughed at her jokes. Bethany taught everything from water aerobics to weightlifting to spin class and kettle bell workouts.

Over the years, Bethany worked in many different jobs and was a valued employee wherever she went. She was known for her loyalty and for pouring her heart into everything she did.

Bethany was an adventurer at heart and had a goal of visiting all seven continents, with only two more to go. She hiked in many beautiful places, including the mountains of Taiwan, the shores of Lake Superior, the Smoky Mountains, and the Ozarks. But her heart belonged to the Rocky Mountains. She returned there often to hike and find solace among the peaks. Beth was a solo climber and even scaled Blanca Peak in Colorado twice-once in the midst of a violent snowstorm. She also loved snowboarding and would go any chance she got. In her twenties, Bethany traveled for a month in Europe, exploring five countries with friends and making unforgettable memories. In Arkansas, she spent countless hours paddle boarding, kayaking, boating, and swimming in the lakes and rivers, though she always made someone else jump in first, fearing what might be lurking beneath the surface.

In 2021, Bethany moved to Arkansas to care for her dad during his battle with cancer. After his passing, she stayed to support her mom. Her Arkansas family is forever grateful for the extra time they had with her. She blessed them all with her love, laughter, joy, great parties, thoughtful gifts, and precious time. Her life forever changed the lives of those around her.

Bethany went to heaven on March 17, 2025, after a brief battle with cancer. Though she may have passed from this life, she didn’t lose the battle. She won. Bethany lived a life of service to her Lord, and now, she is experiencing the fullness of life with Jesus. She has heard the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord!”

Visitation will be Monday, March 24, 2025, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, at Kirby & Family Funeral Home in Bull Shoals, AR. A Funeral Service for Bethany will be 1:00 pm, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at First Baptist Church of Bull Shoals, with Pastor Jonathan Norvell officiating. Burial will be in the Amos Cemetery, Lakeview, AR.

Memorials in Bethany's honor may be made to the First Baptist Church in Bull Shoals for Bibles for missions or to First Baptist Church Gallaway for the mission work in the town of Gallaway. FBC Bull Shoals - https://fbcbullshoals.com/give/ Checks may be mailed to 701 Broadway, Bull Shoals, AR 72619 FBC Gallaway -

First Baptist Church of Gallaway PO Box 166 Gallaway, TN 38036 Or through this link - https://account.venmo.com/u/FirstBaptistChurch-Of Gallaway

Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Bull Shoals, Arkansas. Visit an online obituary and guestbook at www.kirbyandfamily.com.