CLARA BEARD

BEARD, Clara Mae Martin, 81, of Richmond, died at home surrounded by her family on October 16, 2010. Born in Cook County, Illinois, on June 26, 1929, and raised in Shelby, Mich., Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Emma Goodenrath Gallicchio and Nelson Ernest Martin. She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 62 years, Robert Franklin Beard Jr. Also celebrating her life are her four children and their spouses, Robert F. Beard III and Deane Collie Beard of Culpeper, Va., John K. Beard and Rebecca Norris Beard of Pennsylvania, Keri Beard Todd and the Rev. Gerald E. Todd of Towson, Md., and Kimberly Beard Kacani and Patrick J. Kacani of Henrico. Her loving grandchildren are Avigail Beard Hatfield of Danville, Va., Emily Collie-Beard of Culpeper, Va., Nancy Collie-Beard of Culpeper, Va., Brittany (Beard) and Kyle Osborne of Tampa, Fla., Logan N. Beard of Warren, Pa., Joshua and Becky Todd of Hendersonville, N.C., Robyn (Todd) and Allen Schelp of Concordia, Mo., Kati (Todd) and David Zick of Wake Forest, N.C., Andrew Todd of Towson, Md., Juanita (Todd) and Jahmeel Thompson of Towson, Md., and Ryan, Jenny and Mollie-Aidan Kacani of Henrico. Her most recent fans are her 11 great-grandchildren, Mingan, Sierra, Conner and Gabriel Hatfield of Danville, Va., Jacob, Nathan and Paul Schelp of Concordia, Mo., Luke, Lauren and Andrew Zick of Wake Forest, N.C., and Kayla Clare Thompson of Towson, Md. She is loved by her "baby" brother, Bob Martin and his wife, Pat, and their children, Bobby Martin, Scott and Diana Martin, and Ryan and Joanne Martin; and also her sister-in-law, Carolyn (Beard) Garrett, and her children, Bob and Beverly Garrett and Franklin "Skipper" Garrett. She will also be remembered as surrogate Mom by the many children of North Chamberlayne, Luther Memorial School, Henrico High School, Goochland County and Bethlehem Lutheran Church. She never failed to greet the lost and the lonely with a kind word and a warm meal. There was almost always an extra place setting at the Beard dinner table. Until sidelined by illness, she was an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Richmond, Va., where, among other tasks, she tended nursery, taught Sunday School, prepared gelatin salads for the church potlucks, and critiqued the sermons. You might get a good sermon from the pulpit on Sunday morning, but you would certainly get one from Clara any day of the week if you gave her the opening. She was also actively involved at Luther Memorial School in Richmond, making sure that the little things got done, including the organization of the school library with her friend, Helen Pohlig. After what was for her, as a young student, too short a stay at her beloved Valparaiso University in Indiana, Clara attended Columbia Business College in Columbia, S.C., before moving to Hampton, Va. to teach kindergarten at Immanuel Lutheran Church. It was there in 1948 that she met the love of her life, "Bobby." She had her misgivings at first - he was, after all, a sailor home from the War, but she decided she would marry him, she said, because he had gentle hands. In any event, he chased her until she caught him, and they were married on December 18, 1949. Together, they attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., where Clara received her Phi Kappa Phi key and a B.S. in Rural Sociology in June of 1954. She later attended the University of Richmond, where she received her M.Ed. in August of 1977. An avid reader all her life, she served 17 years as an elementary school librarian for Goochland County. She was fiercely dedicated to her children, and every child she met was hers. As a result she was, although not a resident of Goochland County, named Goochland's Mother of the Year in 1982. Clara's educational philosophy was straightforward -"If children can read and comprehend, they can have anything they want"; and her theology was direct -"Our children are our immortality." The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday October 17 at the West Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 11020 W. Broad St. Friends are invited to join the family at a service to celebrate Clara's life in prayer, song and Holy Communion on Monday, October 18, at 10 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1100 West Grace Street, Richmond. Children of ALL ages are welcome. Interment to follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Luther Memorial School or Bethlehem Lutheran Church.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.