Bethany Ann Naser

Bethany Ann Naser was born on Dec 9, 1976 and passed from this life on May 21, 2024. 

To know Bethany was to have been loved by her. To know Bethany is to have laughed with her.  To know Bethany is to have been mentored by her. To know Bethany is to know the depth of her faith. A daughter, sister, aunt, niece, friend, colleague, and follower of Christ. 

Born in Chicago and raised in Texas, Bethany left a lasting legacy across the United States. Her pride for her alma mater, Texas A&M, where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees (Gig ‘Em) was infectious. This pride translated to a lot of decor, so much that she was able to set up an “A&M room” in her house in Harker Heights. After college she went on to inspire and mentor hundreds of college students, ultimately leading student orientation offices across the south in Texas (Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas), Georgia (GA Tech), and South Carolina (U of SC). Bethany’s career ensured that thousands of students got their collegiate experience started off on the right foot and each student and their families knew they always had an advocate, mentor, and friend in Bethany. While other campus offices would be centers of business, Bethany’s also included the sound of raucous laughter, photo walls of current and former students and colleagues, memorabilia, a gnome or two (or a hundred) and a never ending supply of snacks to ensure all who stopped by felt at home and loved. 

Bethany also dedicated much of her career to her professional home, the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education, or as the OG Crew would call it, just NODA (like Yoda). Here she served in various leadership roles, from coordinating the professional development activities of nine states, hosting an annual conference in New Orleans and a regional conference in Columbia, SC and providing learning opportunities for thousands of college students through seminars, conferences and an icebreaker or two. She was highly respected as a dedicated orientation professional to the association and campuses she loved. Bethany particularly enjoyed and excelled at mentoring and motivating graduate students to follow in her footsteps and become leaders on their campuses. Her infectious sense of humor, expertise, candor, and unmatched ability to see the potential in each person made her a rare and exceptional colleague. 

She courageously fought Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) since 2018. Throughout her battle, she remained positive, patient, and independent. Bethany’s illness never stopped her from ordering gifts for friends and family, from Clinique gift sets to Lululemon belt bags and FaceTiming friends on her iPad from her recliner. Her sense of humor and her faith never failed her. Her patience remained steadfast, from learning to drive her electric wheelchair (aka The Beast) to  waiting for others to help with texting to spending time with the hospice pastor. 

She and Pat enjoyed welcoming friends and family from across the country to their home in Texas where Bethany spent her final years. Pat became a friend and second mom to so many of her friends and students, making sure we had a bed to sleep in during visits and the occasional bundt cake or DQ Blizzard. Bethany’s large network of close friends always made sure her heart and her Cheetos bowl were as full as Bethany made their lives. Ever the event planner, she worked with family and friends to have all the details set for the end. This included the planning for the writing of this obituary and her celebrations of life in Texas and South Carolina.

She is finally free to dance and sing a little karaoke with those who have gone before her. The world will have a lot less laughter in it and a lot less style.

She is preceded in death by her grandparents and sister in law Katie (Steve).  Bethany leaves behind her mother, Pat, brothers Steve, Dan (Sherrye) and Rich (Jennifer) and nieces Mindy (Aaron), Sarah, Callie (Jordan), Shelby, Madison, Sydney, nephew Jordan and great-nieces Emerald and Sadie, her aunts, uncles and cousins. Elphie, her beloved black cat will miss her warm place to lay. And we can’t forget the hundreds of dear friends and students who are better because of Bethany.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the NODA Excellence Fund in honor of Bethany, where all scholarship proceeds will go to supporting graduate students studies and professional development opportunities. These are places where Bethany found her voice, left her mark, and created a community.  Donate here:  https://givebutter.com/naser or donate to support ministries at Bethel United Methodist Church in Columbia, SC or Harker Heights Methodist Church in Harker Heights, TX.