WARD — Opal Morrison Beall
passed away on February 8, 2021. She was born September 17, 1924, at El Paso, Ark., to Ray and Mary Emma Morrison. She retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. after 42 years of service as Executive Secretary.
She was a member of Park Hill Baptist Church for over 60 years. Opal was married to Col. James Denzal Beall for 24 years until his death in December, 2014. They married late in life, but Opal said those were the happiest years of her life. She could be very outspoken, but loved her family and friends fiercely and with dedication and a kind and generous heart.
Opal’s career taught her to be extremely organized and business-oriented. She was very hospitable and a wonderful cook with an extensive cookbook collection. Family gatherings and domino games were her delight and, in later years, word search puzzles. Having lost her only child at an early age to leukemia, Opal devoted time raising money for leukemia research. She was one of the founders of the 16th Section Cemetery Trust & Endowment Fund, and was active for over 40 years as a trustee.
Opal is survived by one sister, Geraldine Russell of Ward; Denzal’s daughters, Barbara Crockett (Davy) of Little Rock, and Kathy (Mike) Freeman of Fayetteville; as well as several nieces, nephews, and bonus grandchildren. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Sherry Lynn Odom, and her brothers, Dr. Doyle H. Morrison and Tom “Buddy” Morrison.
You may drop by Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe, where the services will be held, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, with family receiving visitors from 1 to 2 p.m. Funeral service will follow at 2:00, conducted by Dr. Ken Shaddox. Committal service will be conducted after the service by Elder Davy Crockett at 16th Section Cemetery, Lonoke County, Ward, Ark. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Park Hill Baptist Church, 201 East “C” St., North Little Rock, Ark. 72116; 16th Section Cemetery Trust Fund, 8895 Hwy. 319 W., Austin, Ark. 72007; or to Leukemia Research. Arrangements by Smith-Westbrook Funeral Home. www.smithfamilycares.com