Beach, Barbara
BEACH, Barbara C.
Barbara C Beach passed away on November 9, 2021, just two weeks after her 83rd birthday and 2 months short of her 60th wedding anniversary. She was wrapped in a yellow, double wedding band quilt made by her mother. Barbara was a nurse, interior decorator, stock trader, wife, mother of 3, and grandmother of 6. She was born in 1938 and grew up on a tobacco farm in southern Virginia. They used an outhouse, and she remembers when electricity was added. Barbara and her sister Helen milked cows in the early morning, walked a mile to school, and primed tobacco in the afternoons. At 18, she left for nursing school at City Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, Winston Salem, NC, then became certified as a nurse anesthetist in 1962. While in Winston Salem, she met a young doctor, William R. Beach III. They wed in 1961 and moved to Houston. Bill was a pathology resident with the Army, and Barbara worked at the Methodist Medical Center for the famous surgeon Dr. William DeBakey. After a year in Panama, Barbara and Bill returned to Texas where their first son, William R. Beach IV, was born. 'Little Bill' sadly contracted meningitis and passed away at 3 years of age. Barbara tube fed the baby and made special clothes to accommodate the feeding tubes. Barbara had 2 more boys and the family settled in Atlanta. She took classes in interior design. She enjoyed playing the stock market and was known to quote Annual Report facts and data, including the page number where it appeared. In addition to school organizations, Barbara volunteered at the Cathedral of Saint Philip. She was very active on the Flower Guild and one of her floral arrangements for the main nave was included in a professionally published floral monograph. She was extremely active in raising her grandchildren, Christian, Anna, Hatcher, Brooks, William R. Beach V, and Tatum. In addition to her grandchildren, 'Baba' is survived by her husband of 60 years, William, two sons, Jim and John, and her sister Helen Wood. Services will be Saturday, November 27th at 2pm at the Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to the Cathedral Flower Guild.
