Nancy Beals Obituary

Nancy Beals suffered a stroke last July but was still able to enjoy much about life with friends and family. She died Sunday, April 23, 2023 from a second stroke, at Grady Memorial Hospital. She was 85. Predeceased by her husband, Kent Beals, Nancy is survived by her children, Laura Beals Jackson and David Kent Beals, Jr. and six grandchildren. Nancy Peronneau Avent was born to Nancy Mathewes and Charles Scott Avent on April 9, 1938, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She went to St. Catherine's School in Richmond and then to Holton-Arms School in Bethesda for two years. While there she met Kent Beals, a law student at the University of Virginia, on a blind date. She transferred to the University of South Carolina for a short time and was a Tri Delt before she and Kent married in August, 1959. The couple lived in Charlottesville until Kent earned his law degree and then moved to Atlanta where Kent was an attorney for Sears, Roebuck & Co. in Atlanta before moving to private practice. Nancy and Kent raised their children in the Chastain Park area where she was involved in the garden club, played in two bridge groups and enjoyed an active social life. She also remained close with her many extended family members over the course of her life. She and Kent hosted an annual oyster roast and loved to entertain, celebrating birthdays and holidays. The couple, members of the Capital City Club, belonged to the The Racquet Club, a social group that held two parties annually: a New Year's Eve ball at the Capital City Club and a costume ball at the Piedmont Driving Club. She especially loved dressing up in creative costumes. Nancy was known to some by the nickname Nannie Bug which followed her from childhood to her last years at Peachtree Hills Place. She was an avid reader, interested in politics and was involved with the English-Speaking Union, an international educational organization, often hosting visitors to the United States. She recently completed her 50th year as a member of The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. While the children were in school at Pace Academy, Nancy often volunteered in their class activities. More than anything, she enjoyed sharing her beloved childhood places--Lake Summit in North Carolina and Pawleys Island in South Carolina--with her own children on annual summer trips. The family also went often to the Kanuga Conference Center--affiliated with the Episcopal Church--in Hendersonville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina. She loved travel, especially trips to Salzburg, Vienna, and Africa, and in later years, she took several cross-country driving trips. Nancy is survived by her daughter, Laura Beals Jackson and husband Felix Walton Jackson III and their children: Nancy Madeleine Jackson and Felix Walton Jackson of Athens, Georgia; and her son, David Kent Beals, Jr. , his wife Tracey Henger Beals, and their children: Andrew Kyle Beals, Katherine Elizabeth Beals, Noah Frederick Beals, and Katierose Angela Beals, of Ball Ground, Georgia. Nancy's sister, Charlotte Avent Gabrich of Vero Beach, Florida also survives her. A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 12 at 2 p. m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that Nancy would appreciate a donation to one of these groups that were such a part of her life: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta where, when it was Egleston Hospital, Nancy was involved for years with the annual Festival of Trees fundraising event at Christmas, her favorite holiday; the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society to commemorate her love for so many beagles and Boykin Spaniels over the years, especially her favorites, Lucy and Betsy; The Cathedral of St. Philip where Nancy was a devoted member and worked with the St. Elizabeth's Guild thrift shop; and the Kanuga Conference Center where she and her children spent happy summer times for many years. - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation, 1575 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329 or www. choa. org - Cashiers Highlands Humane Society, 200 Gable Drive, Sapphire, NC 28774 or www. chhumanesociety. org - Cathedral St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 or www. cathedralatl. org - Kanuga Conference Center, 130 Kanuga Chapel Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28739 or www. kanuga. org