Ann (Hargrove) Beadel passed away at her favorite place on earth, Happy Valley Ranch in Brownwood on Sunday, June 12, 2022, at the age of 82. A symphony of birds floated on the gentle breeze as she spent Saturday morning on the porch; after a peaceful and restful night she was surrounded by her loved ones Sunday morning as she left her earthly home to join the love of her life, Bob, waiting for her in God’s Kingdom.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 17, 2022, at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church with her son, Reverend Allen Beadel, and Father Michael Mobley officiating; interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Park in Early, Texas.
Visitation will be held Thursday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at Blaylock Funeral Home. Arrangements are under the direction of Blaylock Funeral Home of Brownwood.
Ann was born on September 13, 1939, to Dr. Hubbard H. Hargrove and Theta (Plunkett) Hargrove in Waco, Texas. She attended college at Baylor University in Waco. She married Bob Beadel, her high school sweetheart and love of her life in 1958. They celebrated 61 years of marriage just prior to Bob’s death in 2019.
Ann spent most of her life as a wife, mother, homemaker, and ranch hand taking care of her family and raising a son, a daughter, and a grandson on the family ranch in Southern Brown County. In her earlier years she worked as a nurse and as an automobile show model at the World’s Fair.
Ann was a loving and benevolent person, volunteering hundreds of hours over the years with The Noah Project, a domestic violence hotline and later with the ARK, a domestic violence and sexual assault. Ann was a passionate and tireless advocate for victims of family violence and sexual assault. Through the years she took countless late night and early morning phone calls, sometimes orchestrating clandestine midnight meetings with terrified clients who had nowhere else to turn and were escaping a violent relationship with nothing but the clothes on their back. Much of her work in the early years was before the advent of cell phones and often there wasn’t time to arrange law enforcement backup, but that never slowed her down. Lucky for the victims’ aggressors, she never had to use the .38 chief’s special tucked into a special hidden compartment in her purse, but she was ready and certainly able. In the early 90’s, Ann was appointed by and served under Gov. Ann Richards on the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners.
She loved traveling in the motorhome with Bob and their grandson Brandon, a passion that started when they took a trip to Yellowstone in 1986 and continued traveling across the United States while homeschooling Brandon, taking him face to face with the history he was learning about. She and Bob later partnered with their son, Allen, and his late wife, Donna, to own and operate Cowtown RV Park in Aledo, Texas, an eleven-year venture that turned a run-down campground into an award-winning destination recreational vehicle park featured in two separate national magazines and numerous news articles. Ann put her green thumb and love of gardening to work planting and nurturing trees, bushes, and flowers for landscaping at the park, often being mistaken for a sweaty dirt-covered hired hand instead of one of the owners. (That suited her just fine!)
Ann also enjoyed raising and showing Holland Lop rabbits across the state, ostensibly to give their grandson, Brandon, something to do while in school, although she continued in the hobby long after Brandon had graduated, left home, finished college with a law degree and started his own family.
Perhaps her favorite pastime was sitting on the porch in the evenings with a glass of wine, listening to the breeze. She always said that there weren’t any problems that couldn’t be solved by sitting on the porch.
Ann is survived by her son, Allen Beadel and his wife Roquel of Weatherford; grandson, Brandon Beadel and his daughter Eleanor of Carrollton; daughter, Kelly Dolezal and husband Steve of New Braunfels; two granddaughters, Andrea Armstrong Webb of Midland, Hollie Teague and her husband Dave of Denton; grandson, Justin Merrifield and wife Matilda of Keller; seven great-grandchildren: Shaun McMichael, Miranda Jaergerman, Raeven and Cheyenne Webb, Virginia, Grace, and Eva Teague; two great-great granddaughters, Jovannah and Jaylena Webb; brother, Larry Hargrove of Washington D.C.; and dear friend and caregiver, Tamie Thomas. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, and other beloved family members, as well as “adopted” family, beloved friends and ranch neighbors, Kyle and Jama Cutbirth.
Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; parents, Dr. H.H. and Theta Hargrove; brother, Guy Hargrove; and sister, Helen Hargrove Hamilton Hastings.
The family is especially thankful for Haley Bell and her amazing Hill Country Home Care staff; nurses, Donavon and Tracy, and the rest of the loving staff at Hilltop Park Rehabilitation and Care Center in Weatherford, Dr. Kenneth Buley and staff at Clear Sky Rehabilitation Hospital in Weatherford; Jared, Tammy, Mercy and the rest of the team at Alpha Omega Hospice; and Air Evac Lifeteam, Pilot Eric Oliphant, Flight Nurse Zach Vasquez, Flight Paramedic Joel Swobada and the rest of the staff for bringing Ann back home.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to The Ark Domestic Violence Shelter (2900 Coggin Ave. Suite A, Brownwood, Texas, 76801).
Online condolences for the family are welcome at www.blaylockfuneralhome.com.