Phyllis Jean Beals

August 1, 1939 - March 25, 2019

Phyllis Jean Beals, age 79, of Huntington, died at 11:02 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2019 at Canterbury Health and Rehabilitation in Fort Wayne. Visitation will be from 3 – 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, 2019 at Bailey-Love Mortuary, 35 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 29, 2019 at Lancaster Wesleyan Church, 3147 West 543 South, Huntington, with Rev. Dan Wust officiating. There will be an hour of visitation prior to the service. Inurnment will be in Gardens of Memory in Huntington County at a later date. Preferred memorials are to LaFontaine Center, in care of Bailey-Love Mortuary, 35 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana, 46750. Phyllis was born on August 1, 1939 in Mount Carroll, Illinois, the daughter of Lowell DeSpain and Katherine (Easter) DeSpain Sneek. She graduated from Huntington High School in 1957 and spent a year studying at Huntington College. She married Eugene Buford Beals on September 27, 1958 in Huntington; he preceded her in death on December 17, 2001. Phyllis worked as a qualified medicine aid at the United Methodist Memorial Home in Warren for 20 years, retiring in 1997. She was a longtime member of Lancaster Wesleyan Church, where she played the organ and was involved in the children’s ministry. She later attended Huntington First Church of the Nazarene. She was an avid reader and enjoyed knitting, crochet, quilting, and braiding rugs. Survivors include daughters P. Darbi Beals of South Bend and Michelle (Barney) Thompson of Fort Wayne, sons Micah (Joanna) Beals of Warren and Dustin (Carlene) Beals of Topeka, Kansas, sisters Dee Wust of Huntington, Ellie (Joe) Hellman of Freeport, Illinois, and Pat (Jim) McLeland of Keosauqua, Iowa, a brother, LeMoine (Diane) DeSpain, also of Freeport, Illinois, grandchildren Israel Thompson, Jordan Mackin, Bethany Johns, Jennifer Sharrard, Levi Thompson, Katelyn Beals, Caleb Beals, and Kennedy Beals, and 15 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, a grandson, Nathan Beals, and a brother-in-law, Harold Wust.