Ethel Oralee (Collins) Beggs, 94, a resident of Stark, passed away Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Labette Health in Parsons. She was born on March 31, 1928, to Oral and Dorothy (Richwine) Collins in rural Neosho County.
Oralee was a graduate of Stark High School and Pittsburg State. She taught first through eighth grades at Midway Country School at the age of 17 before she graduated from high school and later taught for several schools in the Stark area.
In 1960, she took a position as a clerk for the Stark Post Office. Oralee would go on to become postmaster in 1975 and held that position until her retirement in 1992. She was very involved in her community; an active member of the Stark Community Club, Stark United Methodist Church and the Stark Alumni Association.
Not only was she a career-driven, community minded woman, Oralee was a devoted farmer’s wife. She married Louis A. Beggs on Feb. 25, 1949. They were married until his passing in 1982 and together had two sons, Gail and Randall and two daughters, Karen, who died in infancy, and Rebecca.
Oralee worked side by side with Louis and later, with their sons whether it was moving equipment to another field or making sure they had a hearty lunch. She was the matriarch of her family, her love spanning several generations. She will be dearly remembered and sorely missed.
Survivors include son Randall Beggs of Stark; daughter Becky (Beggs) Orr and husband Michael of Afton, Okla.; grandchildren Ronnie (Jennifer) Beggs of Chanute, Gary (Kelli) Beggs of Savonburg, Wesley (Amanda) Beggs of Denver, Colo., Amie Beggs of Moran, Brandon (Colleen) Sager of The Woodlands, Texas, Brette Sager Baldeon (Tony) of Owasso, Okla., Amy Orr Galaviz (Maurice) of Wichita and Kevin Orr (Amber) of College Station, Texas; 14 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law Edilee Noland of Chanute and Elissa Collins of Stark; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Oral and Dorothy, husband Louis, infant daughter Karen Beggs, son Gail Beggs, grandson Jason Beggs and a brother, Robert Collins.
Cremation has been requested. A celebration of life will be held to honor Oralee’s memory at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Stark United Methodist Church in Stark.
Memorial contributions have been suggested to the Stark United Methodist Church or the Stark Alumni Association and can be left with Countryside Funeral Home, 101 N. Highland, Chanute, KS 66720.
Online condolences can be left at www.countrysidefh.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement
