Page created by: Hazen Marshall

Beatrice June Wheeler Marshall was born June 8, 1934, in Lovell, Oklahoma to Lloyd and Louise Wheeler. She started school at the Surprise one-room school house and later graduated in 1952 from Hennessey High School. Following graduation, Bea attended nurse’s training at Memorial Hospital in Enid.

On Aug., 26, 1953, Bea married her high school sweetheart Hazen Earl Marshall at the first United Methodist Church. Immediately after their marriage, Earl was stationed in the Chicago area while Bea worked as a psychiatric nurse.

In 1954, Bea and Earl returned to the Hennessey area to farm with Earl’s father, John W. Marshall. During their years as a farming partnership, Bea was the “chief cook and bottle washer.” She loved to cook for hungry farm hands and was famous for her cinnamon rolls and date twists. Bea worked beside her husband in the farming and later agricultural spray business by keeping records, hauling wheat, and managing daily operations.

As her second career, Bea worked as a dental assistant for Dr. Karen Cox and Dr. Tim Fagan. She was a certified dental assistant.

Bea was an active member of the Hennessey Child Study Club starting 1957 and later serving on the state board of the Oklahoma Association. In 1981, Bea was selected as the Oklahoma Mother of the Year. She spent years working with 4-H clubs, FFA Mother’s Club, Farmhouse Mother’s Club, and other organizations in which her children belonged. Bea counted as one of her greatest joys the fact that all three of her children were college graduates, an achievement due in large part to the encouragement of their mother.

She was a tireless worker in the United Methodist Church. She served as president of the United Methodist women, taught Sunday school, and served as a hostess for numerous church dinners and wedding showers.

She held membership in the American Legion Auxiliary and the Surprise Extension Club where she won several awards for her sewing and cooking abilities.

Bea is survived by her husband, Hazen Earl; children, Loy John and Linda Thomas Marshall of Yukon; Dian Marshall Graft and Kyle Graft of Yukon; Hazen Clay and Megan Hauck of Washington, DC.; eight grandchildren, ten great grandchildren; and a brother and sister-in-law, Darby and Pansy Wheeler, Hennessey.