FRANKLIN: Naomi R. Beard

OBITUARY OF NAOMI R. BEARD

NAOMI RUTH (PARKER) BEARD, OF FRANKLIN, MA, FORMERLY OF MEDFIELD, MA, PASSED AWAY ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, PEACEFULLY IN HER SLEEP. SHE WAS 103 YEARS OF AGE.

NAOMI WAS BORN AT HOME IN MARSHVILLE, NC, ON OCTOBER 20, 1922, DAUGHTER OF BRADY CLINGMAN PARKER AND LOIS (SMITH) PARKER. SHE LOVED HOME THERE WITH HER FAMILY, ENJOYING TENDING THEIR PEAR TREES AND LARGE GARDEN, DRAWING UP A BUCKET OF FRESH, COLD WATER FROM THEIR WELL AND TAKING LONG WALKS DOWN HER FAVORITE PATH THROUGH THE WOODS.

SHE GRADUATED FROM MARSHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN 1939 AND WENT ON TO EARN HER B.A. AT APPALACHIAN STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE IN BOONE, NC, CLASS OF 1943. UPON GRADUATION SHE WAS RECRUITED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO SERVE AS A "CODE GIRL" (AS DEPICTED IN THE BOOK CODE GIRLS), IN WASHINGTON, DC, PROUDLY TAKING PART IN THE WWII EFFORT TO BREAK THE JAPANESE CODE. THERE SHE MET HER HUSBAND-TO-BE RAYMOND BEARD…THEY MARRIED IN 1945 IN DC WHEN HE RETURNED HOME AT THE END OF THE WAR FROM HIS MILITARY SERVICE OVERSEAS. THEY THEN MOVED TO MEDFIELD TO HAVE A FAMILY, AND LOVINGLY RAISE THEIR SON ED (RAYMOND EDWARD, JR.), AND DAUGHTER SANDRA CLAIRE.

IN MEDFIELD NAOMI SERVED AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS. SHE LOVED TEACHING, AND SOME OF HER STUDENTS DESCRIBE HER AS "THE BEST TEACHER I EVER HAD," A TITLE WHICH SHE WOULD HUMBLY AND VEHEMENTLY DENY! ONE STUDENT REMEMBERS THAT "MRS. BEARD" BEGAN MANY OF HER CLASS SESSIONS WITH A BIBLE READING, AND THAT SHE ENCOURAGED ALL OF HER STUDENTS TO MEMORIZE PSALM 23. A MEMBER OF THE MEDFIELD FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, NAOMI FOR DECADES FAITHFULLY SERVED AS A DEACON AND TEACHER THERE.

NAOMI LOVED ANIMALS, AND DEEPLY MISSED "ZIGGY," HER COMPANION KITTY FOR 15 YEARS, WHEN HE PASSED AWAY. SHE WAS GIFTED IN LANGUAGE SKILLS, PARTICULARLY FRENCH, AND ALSO IN PAINTING, ONCE WINNING FIRST PLACE IN A COUNTY ART EXHIBITION. SHE WAS ALSO SKILLED IN WRITING POETRY. NAOMI WAS A GENEROUS LADY, VOLUNTEERING MANY HOURS TO HELP THOSE SEEKING U.S. CITIZENSHIP WHO WERE STRUGGLING WITH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS. SHE SERVED IN MANY ORGANIZATIONS, HELPING THOSE IN NEED, AND ALWAYS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED AS MANY CHARITABLE CAUSES AS SHE COULD AFFORD.

NAOMI LOVED HER CHILDREN, GRAND-CHILDREN, AND GREAT-GRANCHILDREN, WHO AFFECTIONATELY CALLED HER "GRAMMIE B'". SHE LOVED THE MANY FAMILY GATHERINGS FOR BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAYS, AND OTHER SPECIAL OCCASIONS. OFTEN WITH A SMILE SHE WOULD CHIDE THOSE AROUND HER WITH THE WORDS "NOW BEHAVE YOURSELF", WHICH ALWAYS DREW LAUGHTER FROM THOSE KNOWING THAT THEY COULD CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR MISCHIEF, AND THAT SHE WOULD FULLY APPROVE!

SHE LEAVES HER SON ED (RAYMOND EDWARD BEARD, JR.), AND HIS WIFE MEG, OF MEDFIELD, HER DAUGHTER SANDRA CLAIRE BOWERS AND HER HUSBAND DEWEY, OF FRANKLIN, GRANDCHILDREN KATIE ARNOLD AND HER HUSBAND PATRICK, KRISTIN MCNAMARA, AND MATTHEW REVER, AND 8 GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, DYLAN, DAVID, HAILEY, HANNAH, AND RYAN ARNOLD, AND BRYNLEE, GRACE, AND JAMESON MCNAMARA, AND NIECES LINDA HOLDEN OF CHELTENHAM, MD, AND SHARI WALDECK, OF ROANOKE, VA. SHE IS PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND RAYMOND EDWARD BEARD, HER BROTHERS HAZEL "PARKER" AND HEYWARD PARKER, AND BY HER BELOVED GRAND-DAUGHTER ANDREA LOIS REVER.

THE FAMILY EXTENDS GRATITUDE TO THE CAREGIVERS AT FORGE HILL SENIOR LIVING IN FRANKLIN, FOR THE KINDNESS AND COMPASSIONATE CARE THEY PROVIDED NAOMI TOWARD THE END OF HER LIFE.

A SERVICE CELEBRATING NAOMI'S LIFE WILL BE HELD SATURDAY, MAY 30 AT 11:00 AM AT THE MEDWAY COMMUNITY CHURCH, 11 SLOCUMB PLACE IN, MEDWAY. BURIAL WILL BE HELD PRIVATELY AT A LATER DATE.

IN LIEU FLOWERS, THE FAMILY KINDLY REQUESTS THAT DONATIONS BE MADE ONLINE IN NAOMI'S MEMORY TO EITHER THE MEDFIELD ANIMAL SHELTER AT medfieldshelter.com, OR SAVE THE CHILDREN, AT savethechildren.org.

(from Legacy.com)