Lori Ann Beall

Lori Ann Beall 61, of Winthrop, AR died Friday June 11, 2021 in Winthrop. She was born Sept. 28, 1959 in Stanton, TX to Lelon and Peggy Oglesby. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Alan Beall, and one sister Anita Oglesby. Lori always referred to herself as a survivor. While she has carried many titles— welder, nurse, laborer, daughter, sister, wife, and mother— Survivor has been the title that encompasses each of these important roles she served. Regardless of what the world threw at her, she took pride in knowing that she would be able to conquer it simply because she knew no other way than to overcome and adapt—usually with a healthy dose of heavy sarcasm. Even in the midst of a stressful situation, her dark humor ensured those around her could not help but laugh. Not one to simply fall in line and follow tradition, Lori was proud to be a female welder in what was a male-centric environment. She valued toughness, grit, and just overall hard work paired with strong work ethic. As important as this role was to her, she valued her family role even more. In many ways, we survive our families, but our families also help inspire us to survive. Lori was motivated by that sense of survival in each role that she played in the family. She was able to love people that others would struggle to tolerate, to love those who did not love themselves. While families have flaws, Lori had the ability to look past those flaws and love the person for their heart, in spite of their mistakes. She loved her dad and the lessons he taught her about being strong and about standing up for yourself. She loved her mom for her soft heart but also for the ways in which she lived her life not worrying about the opinions of others. Lori was a mixture of toughness and kindness, of standing up for others and of not falling under pressure of conformity. She loved something different about each of her siblings and shared a special bond with them, and regardless of how far apart they were at times, she felt connected to them and wanted each of them to endure. She also had room in her heart for her niece and nephew, seeing them as extensions of her big sister and as the first children in the family that she had the chance to love. She extended that love to many kids who were not hers by blood—but by heart. If someone needed love, she had it to give. She loved her husband more than anyone in the world, and when he passed away, part of her world never started spinning again. But she continued to take on her biggest role yet: motherhood. She raised her kids on the river, turning each experience into a memory as well as a lesson for life. Even the mundane was an experience, some adventurous story that her kids would tell all through childhood and into their adulthood. She wanted them to be survivors, too. She set them on a foundation, not to build on, but to acquire the tools for them to build their own foundations. Surviving looks different to everyone. On the outside, her survival looked like hauling wood to keep warm, paddling a boat in the flood to get home, and working every bit of herself to get by. Survivors like her see beauty in the ugliest spaces and find hope when others see only darkness. Surviving for her was being self-sufficient. It was a sense of freedom to live how she pleased. It was peace of mind when her children conquered another battle of their own. It was a sense of community and happiness when she was able to find time to be with her living family members. It was seeing her husband‘s grave neat and tidy after decades of him being gone. Surviving included the hard moments, but it also included those moments of reflection and peace—those moments she spent calmly at home on the river she loved. She is survived by two daughters Leah Beall of Foreman and Holly Beall of Winthrop. Two brothers Lelon Roy Oglesby and Lloyd Oglesby both of Foreman, AR. A Celebration of Life ceremony will take place on July 1st at 1:00pm at the Winthrop First Baptist Church in Winthrop, Arkansas. Come as you are. The family welcomes you to join them as they celebrate the life of Lori Beall.

Lori Ann Beall

September 28, 1959 - June 11, 2021