Pauline Beall McAdam

Pauline Beall McAdam, age 97, died peacefully at Shenandoah House in Fishersville, Virginia, on Veterans Day, November 11, 2018.  Pauline was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William (Bill) McAdam; her parents, Walter and Susannah Beall; and her siblings, Mary Magee, Dally Beall, Kathryn Shreve, and Walter Beall.  She is survived by her daughter, Suzanne McAdam Byerly and her wife, Gay Carlene Warner, of Stuarts Draft, Virginia; her grandchildren William Charles Byerly of Stuarts Draft, Meg Byerly Williams and husband Trevor of Charlottesville, Virginia; Nik, Jacqueline, and Luci Warner of Stuarts Draft; and Micah Warner of Winchester, Virginia; her great-grandchildren Georgia and Clayton Williams; and numerous Beall and McAdam nieces and nephews.

Pauline was born on December 4, 1920, in Mannington, West Virginia.  She spent her childhood and youth in Mannington, graduating from high school in 1938.  From the late 1930’s through World War II, Pauline worked for a mining company in Rachel, West Virginia, scheduling coal shipments to various locations throughout the United States and Canada.  During the early years of the war, on a trip to Olean, New York, to visit her sister Kate, Pauline met a handsome young soldier named Bill McAdam, who became the love of her life.  The two had a whirlwind, mostly long distance, courtship and were married on July 22, 1943, when Bill was on leave just prior to being shipped out to the European front.  Following the war, Pauline became a mother and homemaker.  The family moved often due to Bill’s position in management with the C&P Telephone Company, finally settling in Huntington, West Virginia.  They became charter members of Bates Memorial Presbyterian Church, where Pauline taught Sunday School and made many lasting friendships.  She became an avid golfer and was active in the Democratic Party, campaigning for her favorite candidates and working at the polls every election day.  She also maintained a life-long loyalty to the WVU Mountaineers, where her brother Dally had played football in the late 1920’s.

Following Bill’s retirement, he and Pauline became winter Texans, spending the colder months in Harlingen, in the Rio Grande Valley, where they could be closer to their daughter and her family.  After Bill’s death in 1988, Pauline moved permanently to Harlingen, where she had a full life, playing golf into her 80’s and spending time with her many friends.  For the past four years, she has lived with her daughter in Virginia and has been delighted to watch her great-grandchildren grow from babies into the most adorable little girl and boy ever.       

At Pauline’s request, no service is being planned at this time.  At a later date her ashes will be interred next to her husband’s grave at Memorial Oaks Cemetery, Houston, Texas.  For those who would like to make a donation in her memory, the family would appreciate gifts to Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos, P.O. Box 66581, Houston, Texas 77266-6581. www.casahope.org.

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