Beth Niles

Beth Niles, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on June 22, 2025 at Grand Island Regional Medical Center in Grand Island.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, June 25, from 5-7 p.m. at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary. Services to be held Thursday, June 26 at 10 a.m. at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary with Reverend Michelle Reed officiating with a luncheon at the Aurora United Methodist Church following. Interment will be at the Red Cloud Cemetery at 2:30. Memorials can be made to the family for later designation.
Beth was born on May 3, 1944, in Smith Center, Kansas, to Myrtle (Southards) and Fred Wilmot. She grew up in a close-knit family where hard work and education were deeply valued. In her early years, Beth and her siblings traveled to school by horse and wagon driven by their father — a memory that would become part of the fabric of her remarkable life story. She graduated from Red Cloud High School and carried those formative lessons of resilience and resourcefulness with her throughout her life. On September 12, 1963, she married the love of her life, Buddy Niles. Together they raised four children—Medea, Joni, Mark, and Kirk.
Beth’s talents were many. She held various jobs in the community, including roles at Red and White Grocery, Jim’s Foods, and Ben Franklin. But her heart truly shone through her work as co-founder of  Beth’s Bric-a-Brac, the crafting business she and Buddy nurtured for decades. For over 21 years, Beth could be found most weekends under a canopy at a craft show in somewhere in the Midwest, her booth a welcoming haven of homespun treasures. Beth didn’t simply sell her crafts; she built a community. Fellow vendors and returning customers became lifelong friends. Beth was featured in an international craft magazine because she constructed many of her crafts from various natural hardwood trees that Buddy planked, cured, and planed. Beth’s crafts can be found in homes around the globe.
Of all her roles in life, perhaps none brought her more happiness than being “Grandma Niles.” Whether she was baking cookies, playing hide and seek behind the curtains in the living room, picking up grandchildren from school, or sitting in the audience at school programs, Beth brought unconditional love, support, and delight to her grandchildren’s lives. She was their biggest fan and most constant source of encouragement.
Beth’s legacy is one of love, creativity, and deep connection. She leaves behind a family and community who will forever feel her warmth in every memory, every handmade keepsake, and every act of kindness she inspired.
Beth is survived by her husband, Buddy, her children Medea (Dave) Boguslaw of Excelsior Springs, MO, Joni (Mitch) Truka of La Paz Mexico, twin sons Mark Niles of Hastings, and Kirk (Debb) Niles of Aurora, grandchildren Danielle (Dillon) Holcomb of Grain Valley, MO, David (Jamie) Boguslaw of Elm Creek, Danae (Ace) Frazier of Greenville, SC, Nolan (Emma) Miska Lincoln, Kate Woods of Sydney, Australia, Michael (Chelsea) Truka of Lincoln, Tyler Boguslaw of Overland Park, KS, Justin (Natasha) Niles of Phillips, Andi Niles of Grand Island, Blake Niles of Norfolk, Ryane Niles of Grand Island, Madalyn Boguslaw of Independence, MO, Tristen Truka of Martell, Torren (Aleksandra) Boguslaw of Excelsior Springs, MO, and 15 great-grandchildren.   Also surviving are her brother, Mason Wilmot of Lincoln and twin sister Barbara of Nelson and multiple nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Ivan Wilmot, sister Ruth Hayes, and brother Eldon Wilmot.