Search Results

BEATTY -- Marcella E. Beatty passed away peacefully at her home in Albuquerque, NM on Sunday, January 16, 2005. She was born April 18, 1918, in Montrose, MO and grew up in Tulsa, OK. She earned an RN degree from Oklahoma University and a B.S. in Education from San Francisco College for Women, working her way through school as a surgical nurse at Children's Hospital in San Francisco, CA. She later joined the teaching faculty of Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco. While working at Children's Hospital, she met the love of her life, a young resident named Ralph R. Beatty, M. D. It nonetheless required seven years of courting for him to pry her away from her career. They were married on September 17, 1950. Marcella brought the same care and verve to marriage and motherhood that she had given to her nursing and teaching careers. She had a talent for making patients, friends, and strangers feel at home, and she loved hosting memorable parties. Her gift of friendship enriched her life with friends both old and new. During the years her family lived in Kansas City, MO (1952-72), Kerrville, TX (1972-74), Salisbury, NC (1975-80), and Albuquerque, NM (1980-2005), she was actively engaged in educational and charitable work through local church, school, and neighborhood associations, as well as the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In recent years, she was a passionate supporter of the Sunbonnet Shop at First Presbyterian Church and the Martineztown House of Neighborly Service. Her unquenchable optimism, humor, and grit were an inspiration to all who were warmed by her deep caring, or lifted by her sparkle. Everyone who knew her relied upon her abiding faith and her talent for prayer. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph R. Beatty, M.D., and her brother, Joseph W. Palmer, both of Albuquerque. She is survived by her daughter, Victoria Beatty, of Tsaile, AZ (husband Stuart Heady); her sister Linda Bunch, of San Diego, CA (husband Phil); her sisters-in-law Helene Palmer, of Angel Fire, NM and Helen Abegglen, of Surprise, AZ (husband Carl); as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 21, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Marcella's memory to the music fund of First Presbyterian Church, 215 Locust NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, or to Martineztown House of Neighborly Service, 808 Edith Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Sunrise Funeral Options 7601 Wyoming Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 (505) 821-0010
        Published on: Wed January 19, 2005