Willie Beaver

Willie Louise Robbins Beaver, 94, of Concord, died at home Sunday, June 28, 2020, of natural causes. Born February 24, 1926 to James Houston Robbins and Bessie Irene Furr Robbins at home in Midland, North Carolina, her father died when she was nine-months old. The youngest of nine siblings, she was reared by her single mother and her older siblings on their farm during the depths of the Great Depression. She graduated from Bethel High School in 1943 and had a 41-year career with Cannon Mills starting as a timekeeper and retiring as an account executive.  She met her husband, James Beaver, when word got back to him that she was impressed with his beautiful handwriting on a report he had submitted. His steadfast pursuit resulted in their marriage in 1949.

Known for her cheery personality, Willie attracted many friends. She loved being at home, yet she was well-traveled having visited such far-flung places as California, Quebec, and Nassau, and attended a half-dozen World’s Fairs, yet, home was where she wanted to be. She loved babies and had two of her own, a son James Jr. and a daughter Janice.

She loved flowers and vegetable gardening and continued to dabble in gardening until her last years never forgetting her farm roots. She taught herself to be a barber and cut the family hair. She also was the family seamstress making and altering her family’s clothing. She loved music and learned to play piano by observing piano rolls on the family player piano.  She was a fan of Bill Monroe after seeing him perform with his brother Charlie at the two-room Midland Schoolhouse when she was ten years old.

In the 1980s she taught herself the stock market and co-managed investments with her husband. While being adept at many household tasks, she was never limited by that role and taught her children that their mother and father were equal partners in marriage.

She loved God and taught youth at Mill Grove Methodist Church in Midland until marriage and then became a member of McGill Baptist Church.

Willie is survived by her husband, James Robert Beaver, a son James R. Beaver, Jr. and wife Martha Harmon of Mount Airy NC, a daughter Janice B. Kleva and husband Kenneth of Hickory NC, two grandchildren Mary Kleva and husband Bardia Nabet of Washington DC and Abigail Kleva and partner Sam Weinberg of San Francisco, and a special niece, Reba Morrison.

Willie will lie in state at Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord, 460 Branchview Drive, NE., on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. A graveside service will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2020, at 11:00 am, at Oakwood Cemetery, 421 Church Street, Concord.

Memorials may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus County or a charity of your choice.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Beaver family.