William "Bill" Beard

WILLIAM "BILL" BEARD was born on April 19, 1929, in Little Rock, Ark., to Roy Beard Sr. and Lilac "Honey" Beard, and died on April 25, 2014, after a brief stay in Hospice. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Nancy Beard; and his sister-in-law, Bonnie Beard. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jana and Bill Shafer of Newport Beach, Calif.; daughter and son-in-law, Melanee and Don Yielding of Ward, Ark.; granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Jessica and Aaron Brougher of Ladera Ranch, Calif.; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Chris and Winter Yielding of Pangburn, Ark.; great-grandson, Sutton Brougher of Ladera Ranch, Calif.; and great-granddaughter, Abigail Yielding of Pangburn, Ark.; his brother, Roy Beard Jr. of Little Rock, Ark.; and two nephews, Rick Beard and Doug Beard, both of Little Rock, Ark., and their families. Bill grew up in Little Rock and graduated from Little Rock High school. He attended Arkansas State Teachers University and then the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he met the love of his life, Nancy Carroll. They married in 1950 and enjoyed 62 years of marriage until she passed away in 2012. After a long career with Chilton Corporation, Bill bought Collection Consultants in Pine Bluff, Ark., where he and Nancy lived for 10 years. He retired in Little Rock, where he enjoyed being with his family and playing golf with his friends. There will be a graveside service on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Oakland Fraternal Cemetery at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Arkansas Children's Hospital or the charity of your choice. The family would like to thank Dr. Matthew Sauer and the staff, especially Carrie, at Hospice on Bowman Road for the kindness and compassion they showed to both Bill and his family. To sign the online guest book, please visit www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.