Garland Willis Beard

Garland Willis Beard November 30, 1923 – August 24, 2006 Garland Willis Beard, 82, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 24, 2006, in Waco, Texas, after a lengthy illness. Services will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 515 Columbus Avenue, Waco, at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 28, with the Rev. Chuck Treadwell officiating. Following the service, Mr. Beard will be laid to rest beside his wife at Bosqueville Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be on Sunday, August 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey. Garland was born in Waco on November 30, 1923 to Virgil Alvin Beard and Una Grace Beard. He was a graduate of Waco High School and he served our country in the Merchant Marines during World War II. He married Prebble Irene Holladay on December 5, 1947, and they shared forty-six happy and memorable years together. Garland worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as an installer, repairman and combination man, retiring in 1987 after thirty-eight years of service. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. A caring brother, loving husband, devoted father and grandfather, and faithful friend, Garland was loved and will be missed by many. He loved tinkering in his workshop and his life-long hobby was buying and restoring old vehicles. He was also an avid Dallas Cowboys fan. Garland was preceeded in death by his parents, his wife, and five sisters: Dorothy Boleman, Julie Martin Nelson, Virgie Ryon, Ann Harris and Lana Kay Anderson. Survivors include his sister, Donna Sue Harper of Waco; daughters and sons-in-law Cynthia and Albert C. Burgess of Waco and Deborah and Richard Rudden of Birmingham, Alabama; two grandsons, Clifton Burgess and Kent Farr; and three granddaughters, Lisa Rudden, Allison Burgess and Blaire Rudden. The family wishes to express their appreciation for the loving care given to Garland by the staffs of the Regent Care Center of Woodway and SouthernCare Hospice. For those who desire, the family would designate in lieu of flowers the National Parkinson Foundation http://www.parkinson.org for memorials. They also invite you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbaily.com.