Maxine Beck

Maxine Beck passed from this life on Saturday May 30th, 2009 at ninety years of age at the Lindsay Manor Nursing Home in Lindsay, Oklahoma where she had been a resident for one week after spending several weeks in the PaulsValley General Hospital after a battle with heart disease. Maxine Vestal James Beck was born on May 16, 1919, in Lindsay, Oklahoma, as one of three children of Jesse Lee James and Ada Kimbrell James. She attended a rural school in Garvin County through the eighth grade. She spent her early life south of Lindsay as a young "country" girl in every sense of the word as she was often seen riding her horse in the country and helping her father in the fields as she guided her own team of mules alongside her father in working the fields. She later was a successful homemaker and helpmate to her husband, Vearl, in his business ventures. Maxine and Vearl Beck were married for sixty-seven years after having married at Pauls Valley on August 3, 1940. Through the years Maxine and Vearl worked as a team in farming and cattle operations. This was done in addition to her number one job as a "homemaker" at her home in Erin Springs. She enjoyed a long life with her husband, Vearl, as she helped him every step of the way for sixty-seven years until his death on October 17, 2007. Maxine was a Christian and long-time member of the Erin Springs Baptist Church. She was Class Secretary/Treasurer for thirty-five years. Maxine?s Sunday School class was a special part of her life as she often spoke of the ladies of the class and her precious teacher, Hazel Decker. She had fond memories of the group and recalled often her special memory of their Branson trip together and the laughs they shared. It was always interesting to note how she never promoted out of that class. Her more recent teacher, Bobbie Hilliard, and members of the class continued to make her a valued member of the class in her later years. Maxine loved to cook for everyone and insisted that you eat when you visit. She seemed to always have a "buffet" prepared when Whitney Hope was visiting "grandma and grandpas" house. Maxine deemed it her mission to prepare food for bereavement dinners at the church even when she was no longer able to attend services. She continued to prepare food for bereavement dinners until she entered the hospital. Maxine was always looking for new and better recipes to cook. In her earlier years, she was a faithful kitchen worker for Bible School as she felt this was how she could help and was her calling to service. Maxine was very active in the garden. She had plants ready to plant this Spring when she became ill. She took her gardening serious. Vearl and later Dan had to get the ground plowed at the right time and in the correct manner. She was always doing battle with "critters" that invaded her garden. She was often seen chasing our good neighbor, Jay L Edgar?s guineas out the garden on a regular basis. At the age of eighty-nine, she continued to set traps for raccoons and skunks that destroyed Dan?s cattle feed in the barn. In January of this year, she was sprayed by an annoyed skunk because of her antics. In addition to her husband, Vearl Beck, Maxine was preceded in death by her parents, Jesse and Ada James. She was also preceded in death by her siblings Fillmore James and Von Newby. Maxine is survived by her son Danny Vearl Beck and wife, Valerie and grand-daughter, Whitney Hope Beck of Lindsay. Other grand-children include Jon and Jennifer Bakewell and son, Jacob of Piedmont and Cari Bakewell James and her children, Savannah, Eden, and Jaden James of Chickasha, and Daniel Bakewell of Mustang. Maxine is also survived by her brother-in-law, Ray Newby. Surviving nephews are Douglas Beck, James Ray Newby, Mickey Newby, Ron Newby, and Kevin Newby. She is survived by two nieces, Carolyn Beck and Annette Smith. Services for Maxine will be on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Erin Springs Baptist Church on Hwy 7

Maxine Beck

May 16, 1919 - May 30, 2009

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