Mary Ethel Holder Beaver, 86, went home to meet her Lord and Savior on February 6, 2026. She was born in Seadrift, Texas, on October 3, 1939, to the late Orval George “JR” Holder, Jr. and Prudence Janet Zito. As a young girl, she accepted Christ as her Savior at the Assembly of God Church and later publicly professed her faith through baptism at Dierlam Shell Pile in San Antonio Bay. She attended school through the ninth grade.
At just 13 years old, Mary began dating the love of her life, Joseph Stanley Beaver, Sr. A week after her sixteenth birthday, they were married on October 10, 1955. This past October, they joyfully celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, a testament to a lifetime of devotion and partnership.
Mary was a dedicated wife, mother, and homemaker, serving for many years as her husband’s deck hand. She was an active and faithful member of First Baptist Church of Seadrift, where she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and fed countless people through her ministry of hospitality.
At age 50, Mary pursued her long-held dream of furthering her education. She earned her GED and went on to receive her Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) certification. She worked at Port Lavaca Nursing and Rehab for 16 years before retiring, caring for others with the same compassion she showed her own family.
Mary’s greatest legacy was her unwavering love for her family and her steadfast faith in Jesus Christ. She read her Bible every night and lived out her beliefs through service, teaching, and song. She taught Girls in Action (GA), took her daughters to GA Camp in Palacios, taught VBS back when it lasted two full weeks, led Sunday School classes, and sang in the Community Choir.
A lover of stories, Mary read aloud to her children until her voice could hardly continue—an act of love that carried on to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also filled her home with music, singing favorites like “I Love You a Bushel and a Peck,” “Teddy Bear’s Picnic,” “How Much Is That Doggy in the Window,” and “I Love Jesus Better Than Ice Cream.”
Mary welcomed everyone to her table. She believed there was always room for one more and “you can just add an extra bean to the pot.” Whether at home or camping with friends and family, she cooked full meals—biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, roasts, and pots of beans simmering over the fire.
Crocheting was one of Mary’s lifelong passions, a skill lovingly taught to her by her mother in law, Rachel Beaver. She was rarely seen without her crochet bag. Over the years, she created treasured pieces including a bedspread for one daughter, a wedding dress for another, and thousands of tiny dresses for beanie babies and dolls that were sent around the world through Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes. She also helped her granddaughter create prayer shawls for Victoria Hospice as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren proudly shared Mary’s crocheted snowmen, jack o lanterns, and Easter chicks with their classmates.
Mary lived a life marked by faith, generosity, creativity, and boundless love. Her influence will continue through the family she cherished and the countless lives she touched.
Mary leaves behind her husband, Joseph Stanley “Joe Baby” Beaver, Sr., 5 children – Joseph, Jr. “Little Joe” (Laurie), Orval Fred “Freddy” (Tammy), Jeanette Lorane “Sissy” Huckaby (Johnny), Audrey Dianne “DeeDee” Bowman, and Donald Dwayne (Fe), 20 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and 22 great-great-grandchildren with three on the way, her brother George Orval Holder III, and sister, Sharon Shiver (Coy) and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mary is proceeded in death by her parents, her in-laws, Fred “Blacky” Beaver and Rachel Beaver, her brother, Donald “Dago” Holder, her daughter-in-law, Stephanie Suzanne Beaver, her son-in-law, Howard Dale Bowman, her grandson, Jordan Michael Armstrong, and her great-grandsons, Dwight Joseph Scott Beaver, Hiram Joseph Damron and Baby Bear Rodriguez.
Serving as pallbearers are Ethan Bowman, Dylan Beaver, Cheyenne Beaver, Colton Beaver, Joseph Larue Beaver, Mathew Lashley, Joseph Stanley “Trey” Beaver III, Travis Hopper, and Jason Damron. Honorary pallbearers are Russell Cady and Van Cormier.
Visitation will be held at Richardson Colonial Funeral Home in Port Lavaca, TX on Thursday, February 12, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at First Baptist Church in Seadrift, TX on Friday, February 13, 2026 at 2 p.m. with Pastor Aaron Coporon officiating. Interment to follow at Seadrift Cemetery.
