A celebration of the life of Beverly Kay Halsell will be held at Fair Park Baptist Church in West Monroe on Saturday, December 21st, with the Reverend Waymond Warren officiating. Visitation will be in the small chapel from 12:00-2:00 P.M, with the funeral service beginning at 2:00 P.M. in the same location. Beverly passed away on Sunday, December 15th in Monroe, Louisiana.

Beverly was born in West Monroe, Louisiana on February 2, 1939, just minutes after the arrival of her identical twin sister, Gladys May. From birth, the two were best friends, being known always as the Halsell twins. Their parents, John Clinton Halsell and Marina Owens Halsell, were justifiably proud of their two daughters.

Beverly and Gladys were inseparable in their early years, growing up on the Halsell dairy farm, one of the first and largest home places in the White Ferry Road community of West Monroe. They enjoyed outdoor activities, especially horseback riding and, later, water skiing on the Ouachita River. Trips to Dallas to see their Aunt Gladys and Uncle Louie Kimple and cousins Kay, Lou, and Bill were special, as were visits to see Cousin Beverly Claire Symons in Port OConnor, Texas.

After elementary school at Millsaps and graduation from West Monroe High School with the class of 1957, Beverly attended the University of Louisiana Monroe, where she was a member of Phi Mu sorority and obtained a degree in elementary education. She later received a master in education at LSU and a reading specialist degree from Memphis State. She enjoyed a 36 year career as a school teacher.

As a lifelong teacher and learner, Beverly enjoyed her long term membership in the Ouachita Herb Society and the Louisiana Republican Women. She loved making new friends both locally and around the country and the world, and to that end, she visited all fifty states during her lifetime, as well as travelled to over nineteen countries with Gladys.

Beverly was predeceased by her parents, her sister Gladys, and her brothers Bobby, John Owen, and Donald Halsell. Survivors include niece Virginia Ann Thompson Pitzer and husband Neil, children Lauren and Morgan of Silverthorne, Colorado; nephew Charles Elliot Thompson III and wife Tori Hunt Thompson, children Reagan and Layne of Grand Junction, Colorado; nephew James Jim Donald Halsell Jr. and wife Kathy Spooner Halsell, children James and Kate, of Huntsville, Alabama; nephew Robert Bob David Halsell and wife Anne Halsell, children David and Brian Halsell of Monroe, Louisiana, nephew Charles Randolph Halsell and wife Margie Halsell and their children, including special great-niece Phyllis Halsell Anderson, all of California.

Pall bearers are Robert David Halsell, James Donald Halsell, Brian Robert Halsell, Charles Thompson, Neil Pitzer, and Jerry Blankenship, along with honorary pallbearer Charles Halsell. Interment will be in Hasley Cemetery, West Monroe.

Following the funeral, friends and family are cordially invited for refreshments in the home of Beverly Halsell.

Memorials may be made to the following or to a favorite charity:

Lung Cancer Foundation of America

15 South Franklin Street

New Ulm, MN 56073

Or online at www.lcfamerica.org