Sarah M. Beall, “Maxine”, 94, of Westminster, MD and formerly of Clintonville, WI, went to be reunited with loved ones on March 25, 2024
at the Dove House, Westminster, MD, surrounded by her family.
Maxine was born January 15, 1930, in Nathan’s Creek, NC, the daughter of the late Thomas Edgar and Clara Annis (Elliott) Dixon. She was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon Edward Beall, and by her brothers Harold, Leslie, French and Charles Dixon, and sisters Mary Frances Hartsoe and Clara Maud Wagner.
Her memory lives on by her children Diane Beall of Taneytown, MD, the Rev. Julia A. Beall, of Hanover, PA, Vernon Edward Beall. Jr, of Columbia, MD, David Beall of Silver Run, MD, and Cynthia Wandtke of Ogdensburg, WI. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, Vernon Edward “Teddy”, Adam, Keith, Rachel, Thomas Ethan, Michael, Sarah Grace, Emily, Dustin, Elizabeth, Jessica, Daniel, Hannah and Cayla and ¬six great grandchildren. Additionally, she is survived by her sister, Dorothy Andrus of York, PA, and many nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Maxine grew up in the years of the Great Depression on a farm in the mountains of the northwest corner of North Carolina, the sixth of eight children, whose father she often said, “made each of them feel like they were the apple of his eye.” On that farm Maxine learned homemaking skills in times of scarcity. Her family lived their faith, never doing business on Sundays, donating the land on which the community built a school which still serves today, and practiced the values of hard work, self-reliance, and caring for others, values Maxine lived each of her days. After moving to Maryland on her 16th birthday, Maxine was the captain of her high school basketball team, winning the championship and earning the team a trip to the nation’s Capital. She went on to graduate from business school and worked as a bookkeeper for Green Spring Dairy. As her children got older, Maxine worked at JoAnn’s Fabrics, where she shared her skills at sewing; at Mather’s, where her gift for eyeing up someone allowed her to know which outfits would fit and flatter, eventually leading to her going on buying trips for the store; and for a short time at Bon-Ton and the Lenox outlet. With her eye for fashion and quality, she helped many customers. Additionally, she was the bookkeeper for the farm Maxine and Vernon bought in retirement, Silver Run Poultry.
In Baltimore, she met her husband at a New Year’s Eve party where he played in a band. They married that Easter Sunday, April 5, 1953, sharing 67 years together. They shared a love of community service, belonging to the Jaycees, Lions Clubs, the Eastern Star, church, PTAs, volunteering at school, teaching Vacation Bible School, and supporting their children in a host of activities. Maxine was a talented seamstress, sewing hundreds of layettes for Church World Service, suits for her husband, sons and daughter, wedding and prom dresses, school play costumes, and just about everything her daughters wore through school. She excelled in crochet, smocking, embroidery, and dabbled in creating wall-hangings. She loved growing things, landscaping and gardening most of her life, canning enough food each year to fill every basement shelf. She lived southern hospitality, always having something in the freezer for an unexpected guest, and the home she shared with Vernon was seldom quiet, where impromptu summer parties and New Year’s celebrations were a joy to be a part of.
She was a member of St. Mary’s UCC, Silver Run, where a service of remembrance and committal will be on Saturday, March 30, 2024, with her home pastor, The Rev. Sam Chamelin and former pastor, the Rev. Julian Hall leading the service. A visitation will be held from 12noon to 1pm, at which time her service will begin. A committal will follow at the church cemetery.
Memorial gifts may be made to St. Mary’s UCC at Silver Run, 1441 Mayberry Rd, Westminster, MD 21158 or to Bridging Life – Dove House, 292 Stoner Road, Westminster, MD 21157.
Cremation services provided by Pritts Funeral Home & Chapel, Westminster. Online condolences may be offered to Maxine’s family at www.prittsfuneralhonme.com