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July 11, 1933 – Oct. 18, 2014

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Services for Willie “Katie” Beard, 81, of Bloomington, Ill., who died Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, at her residence, will be at noon Saturday at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Bloomington with the Rev. Frank L. McSwain Sr. officiating.

Burial will be at the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington under the direction of Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home in Bloomington.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Saturday at the funeral home.

Mrs. Beard was born July 11, 1933, in Cottonwood, La., the daughter of Adam Sr. and Emily Hopkins Tucker.

She united in marriage to Robert Beard Dec. 23, 1951.

Mother Beard moved to Bloomington in 1969 and joined Mount Pisgah Baptist Church. She was a loyal and faithful mother of the church.

Mrs. Beard was employed by State Farm Insurance Company where she worked in the claims department for 29 years. After she retired, she opened an in-home day care where she cared for a number of children. She raised her own children with love as well as being a special mother to a number of other children who knew her as “Ms. B.”

She was well known for her fashionable dress and hats, her love for cooking, especially her red beans and rice, bread pudding and her famous deviled eggs.

Mrs. Beard was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; and only sibling, Adam Tucker Jr.

Survivors include one son, Bobby C. Beard and wife, Rosa, of Atlanta; one daughter, Emily Bell and husband, Leonard, of Bloomington; five grandchildren, Nicholas Marchell, Leonard Bell II, Kimberly Beard, Quentin Beard and DeAudra Beard; two great-grandchildren, Karyss Jones and Xavier Marchell; very special friends, mother Tommie Gaiter and Shirley Boykin; and a number of nieces, nephews and friends.

Online condolences may be sent to kiblerbradyruestman.com.