Mary Alice Ezell Beauchamp

Published 4:54 pm Friday, June 10, 2016

Mary Alice Ezell Beauchamp, 76, of Camilla, went to be with Jesus on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, at Plantation Manor in Thomasville. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at First Baptist Church in Camilla, with the Rev. Chad Boyd and the Rev. Neal Hager officiating. Her granddaughter, Madison Toole, will deliver the eulogy. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. at the Pine Forest Baptist Church Cemetery in Bainbridge. Active pallbearers will be grandsons, Chad Shiver, Blake Shiver, and Zach Toole; son-in-law, Jeff Toole; Tommie Howell and Randy Covington. Honorary pallbearers will be the members of Pebble City Baptist Church. Born March 9, 1940, in Decatur County, Mrs. Beauchamp was a daughter of the late David C. Ezell and Ruby Giannars Ezell. She graduated from Climax High School in 1958, where she was the captain of the girls basketball team that advanced to state playoffs. During high school, she was also a member of the Beta Club, class officer and ran on the track team. Following high school, Mary attended Norman College, where she excelled in her studies, gaining membership into the Phi Theta Kappa Society and was editor of the yearbook, “The Norman Lite.” While at Norman College, Mary met and later married her husband of 52 years, Joe Beauchamp. She graduated from Norman College in 1960 at the top of her class. In 1963, Mary became a pastor’s wife. She embraced this role and was always actively involved in her husband’s ministry. “Miss Mary,” as she was affectionately known, worked with women’s and children’s ministries, which included directing WMU, teaching Sunday School, leading mission studies and more. Their ministry spanned from Virginia to North Carolina to Georgia. Mary welcomed motherhood in 1965, with the birth of daughter, Faith Lyn, and again in 1967, with the birth of daughter, Hope Ann. She was a loving and supportive mother and encouraged her daughters to first: live for Jesus and second: graduate from college. Following her career as a stay-at-home mom, Mary went to work at Bainbridge High School in 1977. “Mary B” worked with Bainbridge High School for 33 years as the registrar and with student information systems. She retired in 2010. Mrs. Beauchamp enjoyed reading her Bible, spending time with family, gardening and playing the piano. Her favorite expression was, “Jesus loves you and so do I!” She was a member of Pebble City Baptist Church and was affiliated with Camilla First Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by a brother, David C. Ezell Jr. Survivors include her husband, Dr. Joseph R. Beauchamp, of Camilla; two daughters, Faith Shiver, of Thomasville, and Hope Toole and husband, Jeff, of Bainbridge; four grandchildren, Chad Shiver, of Nashville, Tennessee, Blake Shiver, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Zach Toole, of Bainbridge, and Madison Toole, of Bainbridge; three sisters, Dorothy Ezell, of Bainbridge, Shirley Story and husband, Bill, of Bainbridge, Carolyn Elliott, and husband, Don, of Bainbridge; one sister-in-law, Grace Ezell, of Bainbridge; two brothers-in-law, Lofton Beauchamp and wife, Margaret, of Lake View, North Carolina, James Beauchamp and wife, Jackie, of Dalzell, South Carolina; as well as several nieces and a nephews. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Parker-Bramlett Funeral Home in Camilla. To sign the online guest registry, visit our website at www.parkerbramlett.com. — Parker-Bramlett Funeral Home