Beulah Margaret Gallman

It is with equal amounts of sadness and joy that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Beulah Margaret (Patterson) Gallman. She passed away peacefully on December 11th, having celebrated her 97th birthday November 30th. Mother was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1922 to Carlos and Beulah Marie (Brownfield) Patterson. She was the oldest of six children. Three of her brothers, Dickie, Carl, and Jimmy, and a sister Bonnie, preceded her in death. Her youngest brother Paul, resides in Albany, Georgia with his wife Jerri. Mother was married to our daddy and the love of her life, Charles L. Gallman, (Charlie) for 71 years until his death in December 2012. Unbelievably, they only knew each other for three weeks before they eloped to Dillon, South Carolina, in 1941. Mother continued to live at her parents’ home for a few weeks because she was too afraid to tell her daddy what she had done! In fact, when she did confess to her mother, the response she got was, “Your daddy‘s going to kill you!” No wonder their hesitation! But, as the story goes and history proves, her mother exaggerated greatly. When they finally met Charlie, he won them over, just as he had their daughter. Mother and Daddy went on to have five children. Joey Potts (Richard) of Myrtle Beach, SC, Vicki King (Jay, deceased) of Indian Trail, NC, Susan Wheatley (Sam) of Wrightsville Beach, NC, Maggie (Cookie) Quenneville (Don) of Falmouth, MA, and Chuck (Mason) of Kure Beach, NC. Mother has 11 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. What do you say about a woman whose entire life was dedicated to her husband and children? Typical of her generation, she stayed at home to be a wife and mother. Her purpose in life was to ensure that her home was immaculate, her children were well cared for, happy, respectful, and well mannered. Her husband was always assured of his status as king of their castle. While we were growing up Mother loved us all quietly but equally (except maybe for Chuck. She might have doted on him a little bit more!) and deeply. It wasn’t until we became adults that she relaxed, laying aside her role as mother, and became more of a friend to us. She was hilarious and could make us laugh so hard at her funny retorts and comical facial expressions. She was full of energy! Well into her 80s she could outlast any of us while shopping all day. Mother decided to go to work when she was in her early sixties. She enjoyed her job at Belk for 17 years until retiring to go back to what she did best...taking care of Daddy and cleaning her house. Finally and probably most importantly, the greatest thing we can tell you about our mother is that she loved Jesus Christ with her whole heart and soul. She was a devoted prayer warrior and loved her years at Bible Study Fellowship. She was a longtime member of Providence Methodist Church and the Chipley Sunday School Class. We will miss our mother and our friend. She is now whole and free from the cruel disease of dementia, which oddly enough, never stole her sense of humor. She could make the people around her and us laugh at her quick-witted responses to even the most mundane of statements or circumstances. Mother was a prim and proper Southern lady, and if she knew how we were extolling her virtues, she’d look us in the eyes and say, “peach fuzz”, which was her favorite “expletive”! Oh how we love and miss you, dear, sweet, Mother! Burial at Sharon Memorial Park is private. A memorial service officiated by Rev. Bill Jeffries will be held in the chapel at Providence United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 21st at 11:00AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, PO Box 470408, Charlotte, NC 28247 or www.donatehospice .org or a charity of your choice.

Beulah Margaret Gallman

December 11, 2019