Edith Beard, 98

In Loving Memory of Edith Beard. She fought the good fight, she finished the course, she kept the faith. March 19, 1928 - July 8, 2026. 

Edith Beard, 98, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 8, 2026. Born on March 19, 1928, in Los Angeles to Clarence Kelly and Alice Cornelia Frohock, Edith lived a long and beautiful life filled with faith, love, service, and countless moments that touched the hearts of those around her. Edith grew up a beloved only child in Lancaster, California, where she met Herschel Beard, Jr. when they attended the same high school. 

When Herschel returned from his service in the Navy, he asked for Edith's hand in marriage and on May 19, 1946, they embarked on a fifty-year love story that never ended. 

Edith and Herschel had four children, Herschel III, Elizabeth, Bobbi, and Kelly. Through all the seasons of life, Edith's faith was her anchor. Wherever life took them, Edith served the local church community by teaching Sunday School. Everywhere she taught, the kids loved her so much they kept in touch by calls and letters long after they'd grown. 

After spending the first twenty-five years of her married life as a homemaker, Edith returned to college in Great Falls where she earned her B.S. in Nursing, becoming an R.N. in 1974. She loved nursing and brought her heart to her job. Edith worked in the Great Falls Deaconess Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility as well as the Plains Hospital after she and Herschel moved to the area. 

Edith was preceded in death by her beloved husband Herschel of fifty years and their only son, Herschel III. She is lovingly remembered by her remaining children, Elizabeth, Bobbi, and Kelly; her grandchildren, Kelli Jo, Herschel IV, Michelle, William, Brett, and Alice Rachel; her ten greatgrandchildren and her ten great-great grandchildren. 

Her remains will be buried with her husband's in the Missoula Veterans Cemetery. The family will remember her privately.