Barbara Lee Beard, 62, of Hillsboro, West Virginia, went to her heavenly home on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, while a patient at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

She was born August 20, 1964, in Marlinton, West Virginia, and was the daughter of the late Samuel Edgar McNeel and Madeline Lee Marcum McNeel.

On July 30, 1983, she married William S. Beard, Jr., who survives.

Barbara was a 1982 graduate of Pocahontas High School. She graduated from Bluefield State College with a 2-year accounting degree. Later she attended Bluefield State College to earn her degree in elementary education, followed by a master’s degree. She taught kindergarten and first grade for 20 years – 2 years at Hillsboro Elementary School, and later at Marlinton Elementary School. She was a member of the Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro, where she was a Sunday School teacher, elder and treasurer and sang in the choir. She was a devoted leader of Girl Scout Troop 2149 and the Sugar and Spice Majorettes for many years and was a member of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society. She and her husband were farmers and members of the Pocahontas County Farm Bureau.

Surviving in addition to her husband are –

     One daughter –

          Sarah Boggs (Todd) of Hillsboro

     One son –

          Steven Beard (Skylar) of Maysville, WV

     Three grandchildren –

          Owen, Bentley and Brooklyn

     Two brothers –

          Samuel McNeel, Jr. of Hillsboro

          John McNeel of Marietta, OH

     And one half-sister –

          Patty Greaves of Ocala, FL

     A half-brother, Earl McNeel, preceded her in death.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 – 3:00 PM Sunday, November 15, 2026, at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro, where a Celebration of Life Service will begin at 3:00 PM with Rev. Andrew Rice officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 17, Hillsboro, WV 24946.