Larry Beard

Mr. Larry Beard Mr. Larry Beard, 62, retired Bartlesville Public Schools teacher & counselor, died at 10:48 A.M. on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at Jane Phillips Medical Center. A memorial service for Mr. Beard will be held 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, at Eastern Heights Baptist Church. Dr. Michael Vallandingham will officiate and Stumpff Funeral Home & Crematory will direct the service. If so desired donations may be made to the following organizations: Eastern Heights Baptist Church, 1331 S.E. Swan Drive, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74006; to The Navigators, PO Box 6000, Colorado Springs, CO 80934; or to Campus Crusade for Christ, 100 Lake Hart Drive, 2400, Orlando, FL 32832. Mr. Beard was born in Oklahoma City, OK, on December 30, 1951, to L.G. and Leta Ruth (Lloyd) Beard. The family lived in Oklahoma City until moving to Dewey when he was 7 years old. Larry attended Dewey Public Schools where he played baseball, graduating from Dewey High School in 1970. He attended NSU in Tahlequah where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and was a member of the National Honor Society. He began his teaching career at Vinita Middle School where he taught English Literature for 4 years. He was married to Kathy Lee Mathews on October 7, 1978, at FBC in Picher, Oklahoma. In June of 1980, Larry felt called by God to full time ministry and became Music and Youth Minister at FBC in Vinita. On November 17, 1980, he and Kathy were involved in a motor vehicle accident that rendered him a quadriplegic. Despite this seemingly insurmountable setback, Mr. Beard continued his education, receiving a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from NSU. For several years following, Mr. Beard did private counseling while living in Vinita. Mr. Beard sensed a different vocational path, and in 1991, he received a Master’s degree in Education Counseling from NSU. He began work as a counselor at Madison Middle School in Bartlesville and returned to the classroom in 1994 teaching Language Arts and Literature, which he continued until his retirement in May of 2013. The most important thing in Larry’s life was his relationship with God. His love for God’s word was immeasurable. He was a member of the Eastern Heights Baptist Church where he also served as a Deacon. Mr. Beard is survived by his wife, Kathy Beard of Bartlesville; two brothers, Michael Beard and wife, Joyce, of Fort Worth, Texas; Pat Beard and wife Martha of Lawrence, Kansas; one sister, Rabecca Oswald and husband, John, of Double Oak, Texas; and two aunts, Lenore Beard of Fort Smith, Arkansas and Lorene Hays and husband Bill of Orange, Texas. His parents, L.G. and Ruth Beard, a nephew, Bryan Beard and his father-in-law, Allan Mathews, preceded him in death. Friends who wish may sign the online guest book and leave condolences at www.stumpff.org. PDF Printable Version

Larry Beard

December 30, 1951 - July 19, 2014