Billy Beasley

"Billy" Naomi (Adele ?) Beasley passed away quietly June 28, 2013, during her recovery following a stroke last month at the age of 104 ½. Born December 11, 1908, in Ranger, Texas, to Henry and Maggie Neal, "Granny Beasley" as she was known to all, moved to Chico, CA, in _____ with her husband Audie Earl Beasley and her son Eithel Earl Beasley in hopes of better health. She attributed the wonderful fruit available, particularly the peaches and apricots of the Chico area to the change around in her health and thrived for her remaining _____ years. In fact, one of her last meals was the fresh peaches and apricots her grandson brought her from his garden. Among her other favorite foods was her love of candy often stating, "I don't know how I'm not a fat old lady with as much candy as I eat." For her 103rd birthday, her family filled a pinata with candy and had her break it open after which she scrambled on the floor to gather it up. Although she may have needed ever so slight assistance in getting back up, she had no trouble eating her armfuls of candy; with a smile on her face. She led a life full of adventure as testified by her many "stories". As an only child, she was the love of her parents' life. Her father once told her mother "she had had enough" when she got one of her very rare spankings for letting the fire go out in the stove as she read the newly arrived Sears catalog. Her dad once saved her from getting sucked up in a tornado. He was helping another child into the storm cellar when she began to rise and be sucked up. She yelled, "I'm gone! I'm gone!", but he grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down to safety. She also almost was killed when she was playing Piggy Wants a Signal with the neighbor children. She climbed high atop a ladder to the roof of the house, lost her footing, and fell to the ground. She next recalled waking up in her frantic mother's arms as she dabbed her face with a cold rag hoping to revive her; and the neighbor girls were gone. She was once attacked by a whip snake which wrapped around her legs as she crossed the meadow one day. Her home was often the center for music, dance, and stories as her father played the fiddle and her mother made pulled taffy and lots of other cakes, pies, and sweets. Granny was often called upon to tell stories by her friends as she always had a good one to tell. In fact her mother did not like to take Granny fishing because her mother told her she talked too much. She dropped out of high school in the 11th grade because she got mad at a young man. He regularly gave her and her friend a ride home from school and one day he refused to wait for her friend who had returned to retrieve a book. She was so mad, she decided never to go back to school. She always said, "I don't know why my parents never made me go back." The stories go on and on and we love and cherish each one. She loved children and was an influence for good for many children even though she only had one child herself. She also temporarily took in other children who might be in need and was also a safe haven for many children in the neighborhood. She took an active part in raising her grandchildren and took her grandson Dave on many an out-of-State adventure. She was also an active part in her great grandchildren's lives and was entrusted with their care and many times had night sleepovers even into the adult lives. She even was a wonderful influence in her great great grandchildren's lives passing on the famous, "eye winker, nose stopper, chin chopper, and a gully, gully, gully" to them and they enjoyed their trips to Granny's house to get a bite of candy and the tornado story one more time. Granny lived in her quaint corner home in Chapman town independently until she was convinced to move in with her devoted grandson David Beasley when she turned 103, leaving behind the smell of "someone in the neighborhood cooking green beans", the smell that came often to her house from the Sierra Nevada Brewery. She never could quite figure out why the neighbor cooked green beans so often. Besides her sweetheart, Audie Earl Beasley who preceded her in death 27 ½ years ago, she also outlived her son "Sonny" Eithel Earl Beasley, and one grandson Timothy Earl Beasley. Granny's remaining family are Martha Beasley her daughter-in-law from Modesto, 10 grandchildren David/Joann Beasley of Orland, Kelly/Eric Adams of Paradise, Sylvana/Mark Purdom of Modesto, Robert/Susie Beasley of Modesto, and Betty/Paul Marinovich of Modesto, 15 great grandchildren Jana/Ben Katz of Corona, Dana/Adam Poole of Yorba Linda, Jonathan Beasley of Provo, Utah, Maggie/Barret Lybbert of Salt Lake City, Utah, Chelsea/Jake Daley of _______, Jacob and Timothy Adams of Paradise, Jason Hunt of Colorado, Gwyn Beasley of San Diego, and Katie and Lindsey Purdom of Modesto, and 6 great great grandchildren Ava and Elison Katz, Katelyn and Zachary Poole, and Aiden and Declan Daley. Respects may be given to Granny and the family Wednesday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Brusie Funeral Home at a viewing with graveside services to be performed Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at the Chico Cemetery on Mangrove Avenue.