Charlene Betty Beal, the middle daughter of Charlie B. and Annabelle Hanifan Calvin, was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on July 8, 1926. She passed from this earthly life on November 28, 2010, in Oklahoma City. She graduated from Shawnee High School in 1944 and attended Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In her early years, she was an active member and excelled in 4-H Club work. She twice won the Oklahoma state championship and trips to the national 4-H Congress in Chicago. All of her life she was an excellent cook and expert seamstress. Once you had eaten a slice of her pies nothing else was ever quite good enough, and her chicken fried steak was legendary. She began her work career at an early age at Douglas Aircraft during World War II. She worked at Sears, Lake Texhoma Lodge and Continental Bakery as a bookkeeper. She retired from Dulaney's after 30 years as their bookkeeper. She was a well known rodeo performer and began this phase of her life in 1947, travelling all over the United States with her two white horses, Flake and Shug. She did extraordinary rope tricks and did the rare feat of Roman riding, standing up on her two horses which were not tied together. She made all of her colorful and beautiful costumes and always found boots and hats to match. She retired from performing in 1959. When she was 82, she taught her great-grandchildren some of her rope tricks. On December 26, 1951, she married the love of her life, Rex H. Beal, Sr. She was a loving and devoted wife until his death on July 4, 1990. She loved to travel with her "Seniors on the Go" group, and she saw many wonderful places until declining health forced her to stay closer to home. Charlene joined the Methodist Church at Shawnee, Oklahoma, at an early age. She was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church in Moore, Oklahoma, and was a very active member until the last year of her life when her health began to fail. She was preceded in death by her father, mother, beloved husband and brother-in-law, Richard Zicafoose. She is survived by two sisters: Doris Zicafoose of Arvada, Colorado; and Carolyn Lutz and husband Jim of Cashion, Oklahoma; two stepchildren: Loretta Madden and husband GD of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Rex H. Beal, Jr. and wife Diana of Norman, Oklahoma; three grandchildren: Kellye Newby and husband Brian of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Doug Madden and wife Laura of Blanchard, Oklahoma; and Nicole Beal (Jack) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; five great-grandchildren: Grant Newby, Maeghan Madden, George Madden IV, Ethan Newby and Audrey Bewley; nieces and nephew: Bob Zicafoose, Sheila Frey, Beverly Calvin, Rev. Diana Cicerlli, Lana Mullens, Susie Ridlen; and several great- nieces and nephews. Charlene had a love for people and enjoyed entertaining. She always had a smile on her face and made you feel very loved and welcome and always had time for everyone. She was an exceptional woman and will be missed by so many. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 2 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Moore, Oklahoma, with burial at Resthaven Cemetery. Family visitation will be Tuesday, November 30, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Pall Bearers are: Doug Madden, Brian Newby, Grant Newby, Diana Beal, Craig Mullens and Mark Ridlen. The family would like to send a special thanks to John and Linda Etherton, Ann Colis and Janice Snortland for all their loving care of Charlene these past few months. You were all such a blessing to Charlene.

Published in The Oklahoman from November 30 to December 1, 2010