Billie 'Charlene' McGaugh's Obituary
Billie ‘Charlene’ McGaugh, age 76, of Bentonville, Arkansas passed away peacefully at home on the afternoon of Friday, July 23, 2021. She was born July 10, 1945, in Charleston, SC, the only child of the late William and Mozel Beard.
Her family moved to Centerton, AR when she was five years old. Centerton didn’t have kindergarten at that time, but she was smart enough to go into first grade which made her the youngest of her classmates in her beloved Bentonville High School class of 1962.
That same year, while attending Central Baptist College in Conway, Charlene eloped with her high school sweetheart, and love of her life - Max. Together they shared the next 57 years of their life together working as partners running McGaugh Auto Parts, raising their two children and after retirement from the auto parts business, traveled constantly.
She was a Girl Scout troop leader, Cub Scout den mother, PTA president, Sunday school teacher, and a baseball, gymnastics, tennis, choir, and theatre mom and Memaw. She was a ‘neighborhood’ and ‘friend’s’ adopted mom, making a home in which all the kids in the neighborhood and her children and granddaughter’s friends felt comfortable and wanted to congregate. Sleepovers, parties, snow days and random nights hanging out at the McGaugh house was the norm.
Charlene was also, sometimes to the shock and wonderment of her family and friends, a passionate fan of the Razorbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers. She defended the honor of the Razorbacks at countless bowl games and basketball tournaments and if the Dodgers were in St. Louis, regardless of weather, she was there.
She loved the annual trips to the Hawaiian Islands, Hilton Head, Florida, Las Vegas, and Colorado along with the Alaskan and Caribbean cruises, trips to Mexico and leaf peeping trips to the Northeast. So much shopping to do! She imbued her love of travel into her children and granddaughter. Her sage travel advice was always ‘if you ever get into trouble, just tell them you’re from Texas’. Words to live by.
Charlene was a voracious reader, and a lover of a wide range of music and musical theatre. She was an original member of Crystal Bridges and a long-time season ticket holder at TheatreSquared, and always sought out plays and performances wherever travels took her.
‘Though she be but little she is fierce’
William Shakespeare - ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Finally, Charlene, was a warrior angel. A member of First Baptist Church, she leaned mightily on her faith that brought her through some very difficult times in her life. She was a cancer survivor and fought a long and arduous battle with her heart which eventually took her home. But that heart. That heart was as big and generous as her wide, mischievous smile, and she will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.
She is survived by her two children, Tami Bever and her husband, Mark of Bentonville and Jamey McGaugh and his wife, Jessica of Fayetteville; granddaughter, Anna Bever, her dear cousins in Texas that were like brothers to her, Robert and Jearl Ledbetter, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Max McGaugh, her father, William Beard and mother, Mozel Beard.
The family has opted for a private graveside service with a visitation to celebrate Charlene’s life to be announced later.
In lieu of flowers and to remember Charlene, please consider donating to one of the following organizations:
The Bentonville Library Foundation, 405 S Main Street, Bentonville, AR. 72712 bentonvillelibraryfoundation.org
NW Arkansas Children’s Shelter, 860 NW Vaughn Rd, Bentonville, AR 72713
https://nwacs.org
Susan G Komen Ozark, 403 W Maple Ave, Springdale, AR 72765 https://www.komen.org/community/arkansas
American Heart Association
https://www.heart.org
Arrangements have been entrusted to Nelson-Berna Funeral Home of Rogers.
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