Armojean Thaggard Beasley, 91, a resident of Rutledge, passed away peacefully at Regional Medical Center of Central Alabama in Greenville while surrounded by her family. Funeral services for Armojean will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, at Centenary Assembly of God with Rev. E.C. Russell officiating. She will then be laid to rest beside her husband in the church cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the church on Friday for one hour prior to the service.

Armojean proudly earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Troy State University. She devoted herself to educating the youth of today for tomorrow’s future and so she spent 31 years as an elementary school teacher in Crenshaw County. She started at Highland Home, but spent the bulk of her career in the Luverne Elementary School where she was beloved by both the students and faculty. She certainly had the perfect demeanor for a teacher as she was always so calm, patient, and firm with all of her students. They knew how much she loved them and always strived their best to achieve every goal she set for them. She worked so hard to guide and help every student who crossed the threshold of her classroom and she always had their backs when they needed her. She was also a cherished member of the staff throughout her many years. Every other teacher knew they could always turn to Armojean if they needed advice, help, or just a shoulder to lean on. In fact, she was so proud of her students and co-workers, that the walls of her home are still covered in the old School Days pictures of all of them as if they were her own babies! Armojean was so dedicated to the pursuit of education that she spent some of her free time for many years selling World Book Encyclopedias and the Childcraft series. She meant that she was going to send every child she could out into the world as educated as she possibly could because that would not only improve their own lives but society as a whole. The world is most assuredly a better place because of the work she did for so long and owes her and all other great teachers all of the honors possible for their dedicated service.

Armojean stayed an active and vibrant member of her community for most of her life. She enjoyed associating with her fellow teachers in groups like Alpha Delta Kappa and the Crenshaw County Retired Teachers Association. Such social gatherings with fellow veterans in the educational field allowed not only for opportunities to spend time together, but also to share “war” stories of their careers with the only people who truly understood what they experienced. She was also so proud of her designation as an honorary volunteer for the annual Shriner’s Peanut Boil following her husband’s passing, and she spent many years volunteering at Luverne Health & Rehabilitation as well.

She also thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the weekly exercise classes for senior citizens organized by Laura Elliott at LBW Junior College. We cannot fail to mention her longtime membership at Centenary Assembly of God, where she spent many years as both the church secretary and a Sunday School teacher. She truly loved her church family there and thrilled in every opportunity she had to worship the Lord with them. Armojean was an avid gardener and grew not only plenty of vegetables but also the most beautiful flowers. Her yard was always one of the most beautiful in Rutledge and you could easily tell how much love, care, and attention she put into it. She wasn’t one to just sit at home in retirement either. She not only loved fixing big breakfasts for family and/or friends, but also going out to various area restaurants and beyond for great meals. Nor did she restrict her travel to the state! Oh no, Miss Armojean had her passport and she put it to good use over the years! She took tours to other countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Haiti, and Cuba, as well as a cruise through the Panama Canal. She found each and every tour entertaining, engaging, and enlightening, and no doubt her active lifestyle contributed to her long and blessed life.

Obviously, Armojean lived an amazing life full of varied experiences and dedicated service in so many different ways to her community. She was such a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was their “BB” and she reveled in giving them so much of her time, attention, and love throughout their lives. She was also such a remarkable example to not only her family but also literally everyone who knew her. She was truly dignity and grace personified as she dealt with all of the slings and arrows life had to throw at her and she came through every bit of it as strong as steel forged in fire. She taught her loved ones that you can bend, but not break while continuing to treat everyone with the same respect and kindness you’d want others to use with you. I don’t know that you could ever find anyone sweeter than Miss Armojean was and she just exuded the love of Christ throughout her lifetime. You couldn’t interact with her without having a huge smile on your face and being uplifted, even on your worst days. You also had to appreciate her wonderful sense of humor. Armojean was, without a doubt, one of the best people you could ever be fortunate to know and every single life she touched was made better just by her presence in it. She was a warm, comforting light in this world, and the world has permanently dimmed with her absence. However, she has left behind such an incredible legacy as the epitome of a genteel Southern lady full of love, grace, and a little sass, and the world would be a better place if we all lived up to her example!

Armojean was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Beasley; parents, Thomas R. & Beulah Mae Long Thaggard; and siblings, Roy Thaggard, Iny Thaggard, T.L. Thaggard, Ruby Folsom, and Oma Johnson. She is survived by her beloved children, Renee Beasley (Jerry) Burch, William Terah Beasley, and Tyron (Lisa) Beasley; grandchildren, Ellen Shea Burkhalter (Tom Bates), Morgan Beasley (Harper) Roehm, Nolan (Tara) Beasley, Mylan (Alicia) Beasley, and Bayley Rebecca Beasley; great-grandchildren, Bella Burkhalter, Louise Grace Roehm, Harper Scofield Roehm, Porter Beasley, and Livee Rae Beasley; great-granddog, Estelle Beasley; special friend, Raymond Colquitt; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Active pallbearers will be Jud Flint, Jarrett Flint, Chris Thaggard, Tim Thaggard, John Ganey and Billy Joe Evans.
The family would like to thank the staffs of the former Lake Haven Assisted Living and Country Place Assisted Living where Armojean spent much of the last two years. They treated her with such loving care and made her time there very peaceful and happy.