Joanne Beard

Obituaries

Wednesday, 12 July 2023 10:23

Mrs. Joanne Margaret Beard, 79 of Pisgah, graduated to glory on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 with her husband of 58 years at her side.

Memorial services were held on Saturday, June 8, 2023 at Scottsboro Funeral Home.
Joanne was a native of Linden, Alabama and a member of Linden High Class of 1962. After graduation, Joanne attended Huntingdon College, where she majored in Home Economics. During her time there, while working in the cafeteria, she met her future husband, Bill Beard, and they were married in 1965, later moving to Madison where she began her teaching career as a 5th grade teacher at Madison Elementary. She later completed her BS in Home Economics at the University of Alabama, completing her degree in 1967. She then began teaching at Muscle Shoals City High. In 1970, they moved to Scottsboro, where she took a year off from teaching to start their family and enjoy motherhood. In 1971, her teaching resumed at Section High, teaching 4th, 5th and 8th grades for three years.

After the birth of their second child, Joanne began her career in Home Economics at Scottsboro High. During her tenure, she was recognized at state and national levels. Joanne was a co-creator for a widely recognized vocational program called, Changes and Choice. The program provided education and support for students with children. Joanne received the University of Alabama Alumni Award for the College of Human Environmental Sciences and was the 1992 Home Economics Teacher of the Year. She was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Home Economics teachers on a national level. She taught at SHS for 19 years and retired in 1994, finishing her career in education at Dade Middle School in Trenton, Georgia, where she taught Family and Consumer Science for 10 years. She retired in 2005 to begin her next career as a goat farmer and grandmother.

As a goat farmer, she liked spring the best because everything was fresh and new, along with all the new babies on the farm. Her grandchildren can attest to the wonderful skills that only their Jamma could take to task, such as mending anything broken, from toys and trinkets, to hemming prom dresses and plumbing repairs. Jamma prepared after-school snacks fit for a queen and made spaghetti upon request for any meal. She taught them songs and read stories, washed their feet, painted their toes and could doctor any boo-boo.
In her retirement, Joanne was also a vacation planner extraordinaire. She, along with the help of AAA, mapped out many adventures for family and friends.

The Beard family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Beauty and the Beast Fund, 131, East Laurel Street, Scottsboro, Ala. 35768