Bea McFadden

Willy Beatrice McFadden-Bea to all who knew and loved her-was the youngest daughter of Ernest and Josephine. She was raised in Chandler, Arizona, where the color of her skin condemned her to "learn" in a one-room school for all the non-white children, K-8th grade. She did not fully understand how much was stolen from her in that understaffed, underfunded, and unfit school until she was thrust into an integrated Chandler High School in the ninth grade without knowing what a noun or a verb was. A teacher recognized the indignity forced upon this bright and curious pupil and proceeded to tutor her after school and on the weekends. It was through this trauma that she discovered her why in life: to become an educator and mentor.
She graduated from high school and enrolled at what would become Arizona State University (ASU) without having the requisite tuition, but with unshakable faith that the Lord would provide-and He did, on the first day of class. At ASU she would meet the love of her life, the father of her children, and her life partner: Robert Charles McFadden. Their first date was at the Chandler Dairy Queen, and years later they would be married at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona.
They first lived in Great Falls, Montana, while Robert finished his service in the Air Force, then relocated to Southern California where she would finally realize her dream of becoming a teacher. Even at the tender age of 88, her passion and love for her students never quenched. She fondly remembered her students' names and faces.
In 1967 she became a mother to Dr. Rodney D. McFadden (wife Sarah). She would sit with him for hours after school and tutor him. She poured her life into him.
In 1975 her prayers were answered with her second son, Garrick A. McFadden, Esq. (wife Erica). She would first go over Garrick's homework, then put him to bed, and then help Rodney with his.
She and Robert would take their sons across the United States, stopping in roadside motels with swimming pools-a luxury that was not afforded to them when they were children due to segregation.
She eventually stopped being a schoolteacher and evolved into a mentor. Her life's work was the creation of the STEP program, where she took women from all different backgrounds and helped them advocate for themselves and find the power that resides in each of us. These were her daughters.
After she and Robert put two sons through 15 years of consecutive college, medical school, college and law school, she retired and moved to Arizona to be with her family and friends.
She and Robert would travel and spend time with their four grandchildren: Amber, Nico, Mia, and Pepper.
Bea was a proud breast cancer survivor, a dedicated follower of Christ, a loving wife, the best mother, and an amazing grandmother. She was a kind and generous soul.
She is preceded in death by too many family members, friends whom she loved so dearly they were her family, and other people who felt the warmth of her smile.
Allow us to commemorate those who will carry her flame nestled in our hearts. She is survived by her loving husband Robert; her two older sisters Maudeen and Ernestine; her sons Rodney and Garrick and her adopted son Jack (whom she loved dearly); her two daughters-in-law who she loved as if they were her own, Sarah and Erica; and her final four students who will carry her memory for decades to come: Amber, Nico, Mia, and Pepper.
The family would like to take a moment of personal privilege and thank the North Memorial Hospice Team for their grace, dedication, professionalism, generosity, and kindness.