To All,
Palma Beckett was our Administrative Assistant when I worked on the WESTPAC (Western Pacific Air & Missile Defense) project for Japan and the Western Pacific, with Dr. Jim Outenreath, Pete Sparrow, Charlie Robinson, Charlie Jackson, Rolan Tapia, Beth Dyer, and Jack Lavender. When Palma retired, she moved to Alpine, Texas in the Big Bend area and really loved it there.
She was brilliant, as well as funny and fun.
Palma gave me advice on retirement in 2011 – "Enjoy the first few months of retirement – I think it is a three-part requirement – you will get so busy you'll wonder "HOW did I have time to WORK", that's the first part – then you learn to say NO to demands on your time (that's the second part), and finally you begin to enjoy your very own time and life (and, that's the third part)!"
Palma loved Alpine – "West Texas is a pretty amazing slice of Texas -- the MacDonald Observatory is world renown and way cool (budding stargazers are immediately hooked). Mountain views are pretty amazing to a 'flat land foreigner like me. Animal lovers enjoy sighting deer - mule and white tail - as well as javelina herds, and lots more critters. If just chilling is on your agenda, that can be done, too! Just know Alpine is very close to the end of the food chain, so there are no big box stores (think grocery, WalMart, etc.). The mom and pop stores are interesting and eclectic, and pace of life much slower (no traffic lights)."
I was not able to send out Christmas cards last year, so this year, when I did, I got Palma's card back as not deliverable. I quickly looked her up and found out that she had passed last January. I was shocked and saddened.
Bob Bardo
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett (March 20, 1936 - January 5, 2023)
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett was born on Friday, March 20, 1936, in Ringgold, Louisiana, and died on Thursday, January 5, 2023 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina at the age of 86.
Palma was the daughter of Al and Marguerite Cook Clark of Ringgold. Palma was really bright and talented and had a wicked sense of humor. She was gifted with perfect pitch and a photographic memory, and was a music major at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where she sang in the a cappella choir. When Palma left Northwestern, she moved to the big city of Fort Worth, Texas.
Palma's work life was primarily in technical industries -- including American Cyanamide and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LMMFC). While at Lockheed, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President. In this position, she quickly learned new computer programs and she was asked to teach the new programs to others, which were used to create technical presentations for international participants. When Palma decided she wanted to master new things it happened, because she willed it to be so. Palma retired from LMMFC on March 30, 2000, after 13.5 years of service.
After retirement, she moved to Alpine, where she loved playing in a ladies' golf league, and it seemed that once she had achieved her hole in one … she then moved on to learning all about fiber from the gathering, cleaning, preparation to spinning, dyeing, and weaving. She loved sharing with others the "how to's" and the easier ways to do any task. Palma truly enjoyed her time with her dear friend, Linda Bryant, as they partnered in buying and the entire process of picking, washing, and readying the alpaca wool to be spun into fiber for their projects. Palma was a member of the Catchlight Gallery where she enjoyed making, selling, and demonstrating weaving or spinning to anyone who might be interested. Palma participated in Yarn Arts at the Alpine Library, where she really enjoyed her fiber arts friends. She thrived being in the company of art and artists and living in Alpine. She was no fan of "pushing dirt" and was usually reading or doing some type of handwork, but rarely were her hands idle nor empty.
Palma leaves behind her sons -- Lee Roy Fessenden of North Texas and Bruce Alan Fessenden of Alpine; and a sister, Mary Cup Harrison and husband Harry of Waynesville, North Carolina. She also leaves behind a niece and nephew, Gina Hoenke-Wilcox and husband Dan, and Clark Hoenke and wife Saheba.
The family wants to recognize her loving North Carolina caregivers -- Renee, Melody, and Laurie.
Palma had a stroke in 2019, and it was followed by dementia, but she agreed to leave her beloved Alpine and moved to North Carolina in April 2020. Even as the disease progressed, she would answer the question of 'how are you doing today' with "present and accounted for". She focused on taking care of "her" people, whether that meant driving them to doctors or hospitals in El Paso or Midland-Odessa or taking care of her elderly parents. She was indeed present and accounted for and will be sorely missed.
There will be a Celebration of Palma's life in Alpine, Texas in the spring.
If you would like to donate in her memory, please consider The Alzheimer's Association or Hospice.
- based on obituary published in the Alpine Avalanche on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and on information from Bob Bardo.
Palma Beckett was our Administrative Assistant when I worked on the WESTPAC (Western Pacific Air & Missile Defense) project for Japan and the Western Pacific, with Dr. Jim Outenreath, Pete Sparrow, Charlie Robinson, Charlie Jackson, Rolan Tapia, Beth Dyer, and Jack Lavender. When Palma retired, she moved to Alpine, Texas in the Big Bend area and really loved it there.
She was brilliant, as well as funny and fun.
Palma gave me advice on retirement in 2011 – "Enjoy the first few months of retirement – I think it is a three-part requirement – you will get so busy you'll wonder "HOW did I have time to WORK", that's the first part – then you learn to say NO to demands on your time (that's the second part), and finally you begin to enjoy your very own time and life (and, that's the third part)!"
Palma loved Alpine – "West Texas is a pretty amazing slice of Texas -- the MacDonald Observatory is world renown and way cool (budding stargazers are immediately hooked). Mountain views are pretty amazing to a 'flat land foreigner like me. Animal lovers enjoy sighting deer - mule and white tail - as well as javelina herds, and lots more critters. If just chilling is on your agenda, that can be done, too! Just know Alpine is very close to the end of the food chain, so there are no big box stores (think grocery, WalMart, etc.). The mom and pop stores are interesting and eclectic, and pace of life much slower (no traffic lights)."
I was not able to send out Christmas cards last year, so this year, when I did, I got Palma's card back as not deliverable. I quickly looked her up and found out that she had passed last January. I was shocked and saddened.
Bob Bardo
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett (March 20, 1936 - January 5, 2023)
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett was born on Friday, March 20, 1936, in Ringgold, Louisiana, and died on Thursday, January 5, 2023 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina at the age of 86.
Palma was the daughter of Al and Marguerite Cook Clark of Ringgold. Palma was really bright and talented and had a wicked sense of humor. She was gifted with perfect pitch and a photographic memory, and was a music major at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where she sang in the a cappella choir. When Palma left Northwestern, she moved to the big city of Fort Worth, Texas.
Palma's work life was primarily in technical industries -- including American Cyanamide and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LMMFC). While at Lockheed, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President. In this position, she quickly learned new computer programs and she was asked to teach the new programs to others, which were used to create technical presentations for international participants. When Palma decided she wanted to master new things it happened, because she willed it to be so. Palma retired from LMMFC on March 30, 2000, after 13.5 years of service.
After retirement, she moved to Alpine, where she loved playing in a ladies' golf league, and it seemed that once she had achieved her hole in one … she then moved on to learning all about fiber from the gathering, cleaning, preparation to spinning, dyeing, and weaving. She loved sharing with others the "how to's" and the easier ways to do any task. Palma truly enjoyed her time with her dear friend, Linda Bryant, as they partnered in buying and the entire process of picking, washing, and readying the alpaca wool to be spun into fiber for their projects. Palma was a member of the Catchlight Gallery where she enjoyed making, selling, and demonstrating weaving or spinning to anyone who might be interested. Palma participated in Yarn Arts at the Alpine Library, where she really enjoyed her fiber arts friends. She thrived being in the company of art and artists and living in Alpine. She was no fan of "pushing dirt" and was usually reading or doing some type of handwork, but rarely were her hands idle nor empty.
Palma leaves behind her sons -- Lee Roy Fessenden of North Texas and Bruce Alan Fessenden of Alpine; and a sister, Mary Cup Harrison and husband Harry of Waynesville, North Carolina. She also leaves behind a niece and nephew, Gina Hoenke-Wilcox and husband Dan, and Clark Hoenke and wife Saheba.
The family wants to recognize her loving North Carolina caregivers -- Renee, Melody, and Laurie.
Palma had a stroke in 2019, and it was followed by dementia, but she agreed to leave her beloved Alpine and moved to North Carolina in April 2020. Even as the disease progressed, she would answer the question of 'how are you doing today' with "present and accounted for". She focused on taking care of "her" people, whether that meant driving them to doctors or hospitals in El Paso or Midland-Odessa or taking care of her elderly parents. She was indeed present and accounted for and will be sorely missed.
There will be a Celebration of Palma's life in Alpine, Texas in the spring.
If you would like to donate in her memory, please consider The Alzheimer's Association or Hospice.
- based on obituary published in the Alpine Avalanche on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and on information from Bob Bardo.
To All,
Palma Beckett was our Administrative Assistant when I worked on the WESTPAC (Western Pacific Air & Missile Defense) project for Japan and the Western Pacific, with Dr. Jim Outenreath, Pete Sparrow, Charlie Robinson, Charlie Jackson, Rolan Tapia, Beth Dyer, and Jack Lavender. When Palma retired, she moved to Alpine, Texas in the Big Bend area and really loved it there.
She was brilliant, as well as funny and fun.
Palma gave me advice on retirement in 2011 – "Enjoy the first few months of retirement – I think it is a three-part requirement – you will get so busy you'll wonder "HOW did I have time to WORK", that's the first part – then you learn to say NO to demands on your time (that's the second part), and finally you begin to enjoy your very own time and life (and, that's the third part)!"
Palma loved Alpine – "West Texas is a pretty amazing slice of Texas -- the MacDonald Observatory is world renown and way cool (budding stargazers are immediately hooked). Mountain views are pretty amazing to a 'flat land foreigner like me. Animal lovers enjoy sighting deer - mule and white tail - as well as javelina herds, and lots more critters. If just chilling is on your agenda, that can be done, too! Just know Alpine is very close to the end of the food chain, so there are no big box stores (think grocery, WalMart, etc.). The mom and pop stores are interesting and eclectic, and pace of life much slower (no traffic lights)."
I was not able to send out Christmas cards last year, so this year, when I did, I got Palma's card back as not deliverable. I quickly looked her up and found out that she had passed last January. I was shocked and saddened.
Bob Bardo
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett (March 20, 1936 - January 5, 2023)
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett was born on Friday, March 20, 1936, in Ringgold, Louisiana, and died on Thursday, January 5, 2023 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina at the age of 86.
Palma was the daughter of Al and Marguerite Cook Clark of Ringgold. Palma was really bright and talented and had a wicked sense of humor. She was gifted with perfect pitch and a photographic memory, and was a music major at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where she sang in the a cappella choir. When Palma left Northwestern, she moved to the big city of Fort Worth, Texas.
Palma's work life was primarily in technical industries -- including American Cyanamide and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LMMFC). While at Lockheed, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President. In this position, she quickly learned new computer programs and she was asked to teach the new programs to others, which were used to create technical presentations for international participants. When Palma decided she wanted to master new things it happened, because she willed it to be so. Palma retired from LMMFC on March 30, 2000, after 13.5 years of service.
After retirement, she moved to Alpine, where she loved playing in a ladies' golf league, and it seemed that once she had achieved her hole in one … she then moved on to learning all about fiber from the gathering, cleaning, preparation to spinning, dyeing, and weaving. She loved sharing with others the "how to's" and the easier ways to do any task. Palma truly enjoyed her time with her dear friend, Linda Bryant, as they partnered in buying and the entire process of picking, washing, and readying the alpaca wool to be spun into fiber for their projects. Palma was a member of the Catchlight Gallery where she enjoyed making, selling, and demonstrating weaving or spinning to anyone who might be interested. Palma participated in Yarn Arts at the Alpine Library, where she really enjoyed her fiber arts friends. She thrived being in the company of art and artists and living in Alpine. She was no fan of "pushing dirt" and was usually reading or doing some type of handwork, but rarely were her hands idle nor empty.
Palma leaves behind her sons -- Lee Roy Fessenden of North Texas and Bruce Alan Fessenden of Alpine; and a sister, Mary Cup Harrison and husband Harry of Waynesville, North Carolina. She also leaves behind a niece and nephew, Gina Hoenke-Wilcox and husband Dan, and Clark Hoenke and wife Saheba.
The family wants to recognize her loving North Carolina caregivers -- Renee, Melody, and Laurie.
Palma had a stroke in 2019, and it was followed by dementia, but she agreed to leave her beloved Alpine and moved to North Carolina in April 2020. Even as the disease progressed, she would answer the question of 'how are you doing today' with "present and accounted for". She focused on taking care of "her" people, whether that meant driving them to doctors or hospitals in El Paso or Midland-Odessa or taking care of her elderly parents. She was indeed present and accounted for and will be sorely missed.
There will be a Celebration of Palma's life in Alpine, Texas in the spring.
If you would like to donate in her memory, please consider The Alzheimer's Association or Hospice.
- based on obituary published in the Alpine Avalanche on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and on information from Bob Bardo.
Palma Beckett was our Administrative Assistant when I worked on the WESTPAC (Western Pacific Air & Missile Defense) project for Japan and the Western Pacific, with Dr. Jim Outenreath, Pete Sparrow, Charlie Robinson, Charlie Jackson, Rolan Tapia, Beth Dyer, and Jack Lavender. When Palma retired, she moved to Alpine, Texas in the Big Bend area and really loved it there.
She was brilliant, as well as funny and fun.
Palma gave me advice on retirement in 2011 – "Enjoy the first few months of retirement – I think it is a three-part requirement – you will get so busy you'll wonder "HOW did I have time to WORK", that's the first part – then you learn to say NO to demands on your time (that's the second part), and finally you begin to enjoy your very own time and life (and, that's the third part)!"
Palma loved Alpine – "West Texas is a pretty amazing slice of Texas -- the MacDonald Observatory is world renown and way cool (budding stargazers are immediately hooked). Mountain views are pretty amazing to a 'flat land foreigner like me. Animal lovers enjoy sighting deer - mule and white tail - as well as javelina herds, and lots more critters. If just chilling is on your agenda, that can be done, too! Just know Alpine is very close to the end of the food chain, so there are no big box stores (think grocery, WalMart, etc.). The mom and pop stores are interesting and eclectic, and pace of life much slower (no traffic lights)."
I was not able to send out Christmas cards last year, so this year, when I did, I got Palma's card back as not deliverable. I quickly looked her up and found out that she had passed last January. I was shocked and saddened.
Bob Bardo
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett (March 20, 1936 - January 5, 2023)
Palma Jean Clark Fessenden Beckett was born on Friday, March 20, 1936, in Ringgold, Louisiana, and died on Thursday, January 5, 2023 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina at the age of 86.
Palma was the daughter of Al and Marguerite Cook Clark of Ringgold. Palma was really bright and talented and had a wicked sense of humor. She was gifted with perfect pitch and a photographic memory, and was a music major at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where she sang in the a cappella choir. When Palma left Northwestern, she moved to the big city of Fort Worth, Texas.
Palma's work life was primarily in technical industries -- including American Cyanamide and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LMMFC). While at Lockheed, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President. In this position, she quickly learned new computer programs and she was asked to teach the new programs to others, which were used to create technical presentations for international participants. When Palma decided she wanted to master new things it happened, because she willed it to be so. Palma retired from LMMFC on March 30, 2000, after 13.5 years of service.
After retirement, she moved to Alpine, where she loved playing in a ladies' golf league, and it seemed that once she had achieved her hole in one … she then moved on to learning all about fiber from the gathering, cleaning, preparation to spinning, dyeing, and weaving. She loved sharing with others the "how to's" and the easier ways to do any task. Palma truly enjoyed her time with her dear friend, Linda Bryant, as they partnered in buying and the entire process of picking, washing, and readying the alpaca wool to be spun into fiber for their projects. Palma was a member of the Catchlight Gallery where she enjoyed making, selling, and demonstrating weaving or spinning to anyone who might be interested. Palma participated in Yarn Arts at the Alpine Library, where she really enjoyed her fiber arts friends. She thrived being in the company of art and artists and living in Alpine. She was no fan of "pushing dirt" and was usually reading or doing some type of handwork, but rarely were her hands idle nor empty.
Palma leaves behind her sons -- Lee Roy Fessenden of North Texas and Bruce Alan Fessenden of Alpine; and a sister, Mary Cup Harrison and husband Harry of Waynesville, North Carolina. She also leaves behind a niece and nephew, Gina Hoenke-Wilcox and husband Dan, and Clark Hoenke and wife Saheba.
The family wants to recognize her loving North Carolina caregivers -- Renee, Melody, and Laurie.
Palma had a stroke in 2019, and it was followed by dementia, but she agreed to leave her beloved Alpine and moved to North Carolina in April 2020. Even as the disease progressed, she would answer the question of 'how are you doing today' with "present and accounted for". She focused on taking care of "her" people, whether that meant driving them to doctors or hospitals in El Paso or Midland-Odessa or taking care of her elderly parents. She was indeed present and accounted for and will be sorely missed.
There will be a Celebration of Palma's life in Alpine, Texas in the spring.
If you would like to donate in her memory, please consider The Alzheimer's Association or Hospice.
- based on obituary published in the Alpine Avalanche on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and on information from Bob Bardo.
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