Graveside services for Clara Marie (Windham) Beckum, age 86, of Laurel, Mississippi will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the Greenville Cemetery. She passed away on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Laurel. Arrangements are under the direction of Boone Funeral Home in Greenville.
Marie was born on July 26, 1937, in Greenville, Mississippi, to her loving parents, John Calvin and Minnie (Dallriva) Windham. She grew up with her siblings, Erma and John C. (Johnny). While in high school she met the love of her life, James Beckum. They later married and had 7 children.
Over the years, Marie’s family grew and grew, welcoming many grandchildren and great-grandchildren into the world. Her granddaughter, Katelyn Dubina, recalls spending many hours in the kitchen rolling meatballs and the large family gatherings in her house filled with loud voices and laughter. “Nanny” even introduced her to her love of coffee at the young age of just 9 years old.
Marie was a strong, vibrant woman, known for her wit and outspokenness, her love of family, and her deep dedication to her faith throughout life. As the matriarch of her famiglia, she cared for and nurtured many, instilling the importance of family and passing down her Italian heritage. Unknown to many, Marie was creative and talented in drawing and painting, once surprising her daughter, Amy, with an unexpected drawing in her sketchbook.
Marie was predeceased by her parents, her husband, James Harvey Beckum, her children, James Beckum, Joyce Beckum, and Suzanne Beckum, her grandson, Trey Beckum, and her sister, Erma Sherman.
Marie is survived by her children, Sally Bean (Jerry), Angela Rowell (Rodney), Mary Catherine Mosley (Jimmy) and Amy Beckum-Luker; daughter-in-law, Carol Ann Beckum; brother, John c. (Johnny) Windham (Malena); 10 grandchildren, Jason Beckum (Grace Anne), Clifford Tate (Kristin), Jeremy Tate (Audrey), Cassie Gee (Todd), James Dennis “JD” Mosley, Brandon Mosely (Kailey), Katelyn Marie Dubina (Kevin), James Michael Luker, Keri Rowell and Annie Warwick (Jonathan) and 10 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the medical teams at South Central Regional Medical Center and Comfort Care Nursing Center for their exceptional care of Marie in the last few years of her life.