Fredabelle Curtis

Fredabelle Good Beard Curtis was born to Clarence T. and Edna (Brown) Good on January 1, 1914, in Walnut Township, West Des Moines, Iowa. The Good farm, Maplenol, was on the land that is presently Valley High School at the intersection of 39th Street and Ashworth Road in West Des Moines. Fredabelle's great-grandfather Charles C. Good built and gave to members the First Brethren in Christ Church at Fourteenth and University in Des Moines. He was the minister there for forty years during the late 1800s. Good also gave land to the City of Des Moines for a park which is now called Good Park. Fredabelle attended Pierce Rural School in Walnut Township before graduating from Valley High School in 1931. In 1935, she received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Drake University, followed by graduate studies at the University of Iowa and Drake University. She taught elementary school in Iowa for 38 years, with classes in Nodaway, Panora, Brooklyn and Chariton before settling in Burlington, where she taught for 29 years. She was an active member of the First Congregational Church in Burlington, singing in the choir often as soprano soloist. On April 18, 1945, she married Frank J. "Pete" Beard in Burlington. They especially enjoyed traveling and camping in many states and Canada. Frank passed away on April 27, 1976. Following her retirement in 1979, Fredabelle resided in Spokane, Washington, and Yuma, Arizona. She married Ernest David Curtis on March 21, 1982, in Yuma. Ernest passed away on Nov. 3, 1995. She moved from Yuma to Wel-Life in Spirit Lake, Iowa in 2002. Fredabelle is a member of the DAR chapter of Burlington, Iowa, a life member of the Iowa State Education Association, and a member of the United Methodist Church. Survivors include her children, Douglas Beard and wife Evelyn of Springville, Iowa; Eugene Beard of Swisher, Iowa; and Louise Erbes of Spirit Lake, Iowa, and four grandchildren, Dennis Beard of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Sarah Erbes of Omaha, Nebraska; Melissa Treece and husband Steve of Marion, Iowa; and Carrie Traver and husband Dustan of Ft. Dodge, Iowa. Her parents; husbands; three sisters, Vivian Beard, Frances Campbell, and Margaret Moen; and daughter-in-law, Doris Beard preceded her in death.