Nell D. Beard

Nell D., nee Ashby, Beard, 91, of Blytheville, born Nov. 1, 1931, at home in the Promised Land community, died Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023.

Mrs. Beard was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker and was of the Methodist faith. She was a long-time employee at the Brown Shoe Factory as a materials handler. When the factory closed, she went to work at American Chain and Cable, also as a materials handler, until she retired in Sept. 1998.

Mrs. Beard was preceded in death by her husband, Ray A. (Doodle) Beard, whom she married Aug. 20, 1947; her parents, Isaac F. and Julia Mae, nee Stewart, Ashby; three brothers, Jack Ashby of Huntingdon, Tenn., Walter F. Ashby of Blytheville and Leon Ashby of Vienna, Mo.; her daughter-in-law, Pat (Jones) Beard of Blytheville; and her son-in-law, Gordon Anson of Fairview Heights, Ill.

Surviving Mrs. Beard are her daughter, Kathy N., nee Beard, Anson, of Fairview Heights, Ill.; three sons, Gary F. (Mimi) Beard of Lakeland, Tenn., Dennis R. Beard and Randy A. (Tabatha) Beard, Sr., of Houston, Texas; and a sister, Paula J. Danner, of Blytheville. She has 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Beard liked to travel to visit her children and their families and enjoyed going to a St Louis Cardinals’ baseball games. She also enjoyed being outside, working in the yard. Most notably, she was an avid Elvis Presley fan and enjoyed her trips to Graceland when she was younger. She was also a cancer survivor since 2012.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. in the Cobb Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until service time at Cobb Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or The American Cancer Society. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.cobbfuneralhome.com.