Frances Wilma Beaty

Wilma Sowder Beaty was born on Sept. 16, 1919 and died on March 16, 2011 at the age of 91. She was born in Arthur, Tennessee, one of 6 children of Lillie Paris Hall Sowder and George Washington Sowder. She grew up in Arthur, and in Harlan county, Kentucky where her father was a coal miner. She attended Arthur Elementary School, Combs School and Powell Valley High School, where she met her husband Tommy Beaty. Thomas Napoleon Beaty preceded her in death in 1980. They had four children, two of whom preceded them in death: Robert died in 1944 and Frances in 1954. Wilma was also preceded in death by one of her grandsons in 2002: Adam Preston Beeler, son of Elaine Beaty Beeler and Danny R. Beeler.

Wilma graduated from LMU in 1940. She was a teacher in Claiborne County, and a social worker with the Claiborne County Department of Human Services where she retired in 1979 as the County Director. Wilma was a member of the First Baptist Church of Harrogate.

Wilma's survivors are: daughter Elizabeth Beaty Cobb and her husband Richard Cobb of Covington, Georgia, daughter Elaine Beaty Beeler of Franklin, Tennessee, grandson Aaron Beaty Beeler of Boston, Massachusetts, two step-grandsons, Greg Cobb and Spencer Cobb, both of Atlanta and the families of Pansey Williams Howell, Rae Sowder Smith, Sandra Rowland Moyers, Jane Rowland and Barbara Scoville Sharp. She is also survived by many, many special neighbors and friends.

Pallbearers are: Jay Walker, Greg Snyder, J.B. Smith, Kenneth Turner, Clayton Greis, Donnie Massengill, Troy Poore, Danny Pearman, Jackie West and Kenneth Brooks. In lieu of flowers, send donations to : Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38122, for the Adam P. Beeler Christian Service for Youth Scholarship.

The family will receive friends from 5-7 PM Friday, March 18, 2011 at Coffey Funeral Home in Harrogate, and from Noon-2:00 PM Saturday, March 19 with the funeral immediately following at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Harrogate Cemetery.