Individual Details
Juanita Dawn Beard
(22 Oct 1918 - 24 Nov 2011)
October 22, 1918 - November 24,2011
Juanita Dawn Beard Hawthorne, 93, of Hearne, went to be with her Lord Jesus Christ on Thursday, November 24th, 2011. Visitation was November 26, 2011 at Heartfield-Ritter Funeral Home. Family, friends, and neighbors comforted each other while celebrating Juanita's life with a menagerie of pictures and instrumental hymns and gospel music. Graveside services were held Sunday, November 27, 2011 at Norwood Cemetery in Hearne. Father Bruce Chabot of St. Phillip's Episcopal Church of Hearne officiated. During the service, Juanita's eldest son, Ray led the singing of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and "Amazing Grace".
Juanita was born October 22, 1918 to William Henry and Mary Ellen (Mollie) Beard on a rice plantation just outside of Beaumont, Tx where her father was a sharecropper. When she was five, the family moved to Beaumont. One of her older brothers, Elmo Beard, became mayor of Beaumont in the late 1940s. She was the youngest of 6 children; four brothers and one sister preceded her in death. As a young woman, Juanita was an accomplished ballroom dancer and instructed young girls in tap dance. Later she taught her sons and daughter to dance; she taught her daughter to tap. After graduating from South Park High School in Beaumont, Tx, Juanita attended Shanear Business College. She married Walter Valton (Buck) Hawthorne in 1939; he preceded her in death September 22, 2001. The couple and their first three sons resided in San Diego, California while Buck Hawthorne served in the United States Navy as a welder in the shipyards during WWII. They were married 62 years and had five children.
The Hawthorne family moved to Hearne, Tx in 1948 where they built their home. Juanita lived in the family home for over 60 years. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, gardening, oil painting and participating in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Since childhood Juanita enjoyed music. Her children grew up hearing her whistling tunes during her day and playing lively songs on her harmonica. She attended St. Phillips Episcopal Church for over 50 years and was an active alter guild member for most of those years. Juanita is survived by three children, Dr. Ray Allen Hawthorne and his wife, Leslie, of Franklin, Tn., William Earl (Billy) Hawthorne and wife, Michelle, of Colmesneil, Tx, and Mary Ellen Hawthorne Dobbs and husband, David, of Hearne, Tx., 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great grandchildren. Two sons preceded her in death: Walter Craig Hawthorne in 1986 and David Elmo Hawthorne in 1980.
While resting in the assurance that Jaunita is now in the place of "no more tears, no more sorrow", her family misses her presence and looks forward to the day when the family will be re-united forever with the other members of Christ's royal family.
Published by The Bryan-College Station Eagle from Dec. 3 to Dec. 4, 2011.
Juanita Dawn Beard Hawthorne, 93, of Hearne, went to be with her Lord Jesus Christ on Thursday, November 24th, 2011. Visitation was November 26, 2011 at Heartfield-Ritter Funeral Home. Family, friends, and neighbors comforted each other while celebrating Juanita's life with a menagerie of pictures and instrumental hymns and gospel music. Graveside services were held Sunday, November 27, 2011 at Norwood Cemetery in Hearne. Father Bruce Chabot of St. Phillip's Episcopal Church of Hearne officiated. During the service, Juanita's eldest son, Ray led the singing of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and "Amazing Grace".
Juanita was born October 22, 1918 to William Henry and Mary Ellen (Mollie) Beard on a rice plantation just outside of Beaumont, Tx where her father was a sharecropper. When she was five, the family moved to Beaumont. One of her older brothers, Elmo Beard, became mayor of Beaumont in the late 1940s. She was the youngest of 6 children; four brothers and one sister preceded her in death. As a young woman, Juanita was an accomplished ballroom dancer and instructed young girls in tap dance. Later she taught her sons and daughter to dance; she taught her daughter to tap. After graduating from South Park High School in Beaumont, Tx, Juanita attended Shanear Business College. She married Walter Valton (Buck) Hawthorne in 1939; he preceded her in death September 22, 2001. The couple and their first three sons resided in San Diego, California while Buck Hawthorne served in the United States Navy as a welder in the shipyards during WWII. They were married 62 years and had five children.
The Hawthorne family moved to Hearne, Tx in 1948 where they built their home. Juanita lived in the family home for over 60 years. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, gardening, oil painting and participating in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Since childhood Juanita enjoyed music. Her children grew up hearing her whistling tunes during her day and playing lively songs on her harmonica. She attended St. Phillips Episcopal Church for over 50 years and was an active alter guild member for most of those years. Juanita is survived by three children, Dr. Ray Allen Hawthorne and his wife, Leslie, of Franklin, Tn., William Earl (Billy) Hawthorne and wife, Michelle, of Colmesneil, Tx, and Mary Ellen Hawthorne Dobbs and husband, David, of Hearne, Tx., 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great grandchildren. Two sons preceded her in death: Walter Craig Hawthorne in 1986 and David Elmo Hawthorne in 1980.
While resting in the assurance that Jaunita is now in the place of "no more tears, no more sorrow", her family misses her presence and looks forward to the day when the family will be re-united forever with the other members of Christ's royal family.
Published by The Bryan-College Station Eagle from Dec. 3 to Dec. 4, 2011.
Events
| Birth | 22 Oct 1918 | Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas | |||
| Marriage | 1939 | Walter Valton "Buck" Hawthorne | |||
| Death | 24 Nov 2011 | Hearne, Robertson County, Texas | |||
| Burial | 27 Nov 2011 | Hearne, Robertson County, Texas |
Families
| Spouse | Walter Valton "Buck" Hawthorne (1919 - 2001) |
| Child | David Elmo Hawthorne (1949 - 1980) |