Rev. Jim Beal died as gracefully as he lived. One of his dreams was for others to do the same. The experience of dying, whether ours or another’s, can leave us feeling fragile and alone. What does it mean to die gracefully? How do you prepare?

Rev. Beal spent many years of his life helping people explore these questions. He worked with Arkansas Hospice because he knew we shared his vision to embrace death as a natural part of life, providing the warm support needed during fragile times.

The extraordinary strength and courage Rev. Beal showed in helping others manage their fear of death and dying shines through in the loving remembrances of people who knew him. We hope the following quotes offer you a glimpse of why so many people admired the life and death of Rev. Jim Beal.

“We at Arkansas Hospice are grateful to have walked with Rev. Jim Beal for awhile in life. Having lost his own son to cancer, he was especially inspired to promote the best of care for the dying and their loved ones. He had a hospice heart – that sense of mission and compassion that moves hospice workers to tenderly embrace the dying with love and the best of care.

As a pastor and leader, Jim was committed to uplifting many community services. Arkansas Hospice was one of those services. Always in good humor, always positive, and always encouraging – Jim gave freely of his time, talents and treasure in support of the growth of Arkansas Hospice.

We are grateful for the inspiration he offered. We also miss him and ask for continued consolation from above for his wife, Mauzel, and family, and all of us in our loss.”
Michael Aureli, President & CEO, Arkansas Hospice

“Long ago Jim started preaching a sermon called ‘Getting Ready to Die.’ He used it at every church he pastored. It’s about facing up to the facts of things a person needs to do to get ready for death. Jim made his own funeral plans in 1960 and had revised them several times. He even made his own casket.

Before Jim became a part of hospice I just knew the term ‘hospice.’ Jim began to tell me about what it does and that’s how I began to appreciate its services. When asked about serving on the Arkansas Hospice Conway Advisory Board Jim didn’t hesitate. He would come home from meetings so excited about the work he was doing.

It was just so natural and right for Jim to go into hospice after his diagnosis of ALS. He said he felt the staff working with him was ‘absolutely fantastic’ and the caring quality ‘just oozed out’ of every person that came from Arkansas Hospice. ‘It doesn’t matter who you send,’ he said, ‘I trust them all.’

I was so impressed with every person, how they brought a ray of sunshine into the house as well as being so efficient. They gave me confidence and security.”
Mauzel Beal, loving wife of Rev. Jim Beal for 53 years

“Always the teacher, Jim was. Even in his dying and death he taught. For me it had to do with faith and the balance of 'hanging on' or letting go. That evening after the ALS diagnosis Jim was declaring his acceptance of the diagnosis and all it meant about the certain pattern of impending death; how he wasn’t going to go chasing around the country seeking this or that cure.

When I called again the next morning already he was asking me to help him organize a tool sale we’d do in his yard, and to dispose of his books, his sermon file. ‘It’s apparent I’m not going to need them again. Let’s get it all in the hands of someone who might use them.’

The next Sunday Jim told the Sunday School class, ‘They tell me I have Lou Gerhig’s Disease. My brother Gene’s immediate reaction was, that can’t be right. You don’t even now how to play baseball.’ With that, everyone was all right. He helped us to talk about it all, to laugh and cry together.”
Ed Matthews, brother-in-law, from the 3/7/05 Memorial Service

“Rev. Beal was strong – in his faith, in support of his family, and as a leader in his community. I never saw him in bed ‘til the day he died. He was not determined to 'beat' ALS, he was totally confident in who he was and where he was going.

Rev. Beal had a down-to-earth sense of humor and for a strong leader, held no air of superiority. His strength was easy to see in his generous support of others and his celebration and sharing of faith with people, regardless of that person’s own particular faith.

His wife, Mauzel, is the same way. It was such an honor to serve these two strong individuals – active, persistent, positive and so well-loved in return for their unwavering support of building strong communities. They made a difference in so many people’s lives. Rev. Beal’s memorial service was proof of that – why, I’ve never seen so many men in black suits in one place!”
Vicki Dunn, Conway Coordinator

“A friend is defined as someone you can share your most intimate thoughts with in confidentiality without defending yourself or justifying what you share – this was Jim Beal. Jim had the heart of a pastor and the skill of a counselor.”
Rev. John Shell, friend and colleague

In Rev. Jim Beal’s own words:
“A long time ago I made my peace. I’m not afraid to die. I feel good. I’m a hard worker and have been involved in a lot of things, chaired about 500 committees, and always thought I was assigned to wherever I was to help make that community better.

I am impressed with the work and quality of the Arkansas Hospice Board. I am not sure how I became chair of the Arkansas Hospice Conway group, except that I missed an early meeting and learned later that I had been nominated…

During the 44 years that I served as a church pastor, I worked with hundreds of families to celebrate their goodtimes and to share in their times of stress and sorrow. I have always understood the experiences of birth, life and death as normal components of human experience. I tried to equip persons to accept and prepare for these normal experiences.

I remember over 25 years ago hearing Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross speak about death and dying and realized how much more could be offered to the terminally ill. I preached a sermon in each parish that I called, 'Getting Ready To Die.' I explained that since death was an inevitable experience to everyone, we could and should prepare for that. It was not a depressing experience and families really appreciated the subject being presented.

My years of talking about life and death took a very personal turn in 1998 when our 42-year old son, Rev. Roger Beal, died after a 9½ year battle with melanoma cancer. I won’t ever say that was an easy time because it wasn’t. But we were able to talk together and make significant plans because the subject of death was not unfamiliar to either of us. Roger accepted the inevitablity of his death before I did, and he led me to do that.

The powerful experience of the death of our son helped me to know for certain how much we can do for others, in these ultimate life experiences, to help, to genuinely help! I believe that Hospice is a critical component and am glad to be a part of that helping process.

I once saw a sign that said ‘Make you the world a bit better because you live in it.’ I really believe in that saying and don’t want to live a day beyond the time that I can make a contribution to the community in some way.”

The Rev. James William "Jim” Beal, a Methodist leader, scholar and pastor died March 4, 2005 of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He was 76 years old.

We celebrate the life and memory of Rev. Jim Beal, and are grateful for his courage and commitment to foster a healthy, loving culture of dying. We at Arkansas Hospice are truly honored he chose to walk with us awhile on our shared journey.