Marjorie McCoy (Beaufort) Small

Marjorie “Mike” Beaufort Small passed away at home on Thursday, September 9, 2021, after a long and courageous battle with multiple myeloma. She was born to the late Bill and Toddle Beaufort on June 3, 1945, in Decatur, AL, and moved to Jacksonville, where she was raised with her brother Charles and cousin Nelson Carter.

She graduated from Lee High School in 1963 and attended Queens College in Charlotte, NC and UNC Chapel Hill earning bachelors and masters degrees in English. She later obtained a post masters certificate in math and began an over 20 year career teaching 5th and 6th graders at Riverside Presbyterian Day School. She is often referred to by many previous students as their “favorite math teacher ever”. She received the Bo Cotton Award prior to her retirement in 2008.

She met the love of her life Arthur Small III (Art) on a blind date in 1970 and they were married a year later. They lived in Connecticut and New York City before moving home to Jacksonville in 1977. Here, they raised two sons, Art (IV) and Beau and gave them a life of love and laughter. Art and Mike recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family trip to see their favorite Atlanta Braves.

Mike made every person she met feel special and loved, whether a total stranger or one of her many beloved cousins. She was musically gifted and loved to play the piano for others enjoyment. She loved it even more when people would sing along.

She had a strong faith and spent many years in the pews of Riverside Presbyterian Church, even serving as an elder for a period of time. More recently, some of the greatest joys in her life were her granddaughters, Kate and Allie, and her dog Champ. To know her was to love her and we are all better off for having her in our lives.

She has been reunited in Heaven with her mother and father, brother Charles Beaufort Jr and infant son Samuel. She is survived by her husband, Art Small III, sons Art IV and Beau (Julie), her granddaughters, Kate and Allie, and many cherished members of her extended family.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, September 18th at 2pm EST at Riverside Presbyterian Church. 849 Park Street Jacksonville, FL 32204 http://rpcjax.org/memorial (streaming services available there for the memorial too).

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Mike Small may be donated to The RPDS Fund for Riverside Presbyterian Day School, where Mike was a beloved faculty member, or your favorite charity. If RPDS, please direct memorial gifts to: RPDS Advancement Office, 830 Oak Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204.