NORTH WEBSTER — Rita Ann Beeson, 87, North Webster, passed away at 12:15 a.m. Feb. 12, 2017, at Lakeland Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Milford. She was born April 19, 1929, in Gas City, to Lawrence E. and Lucille I. Harshman Richards. She graduated in 1947 from Gas City High School. On June 26, 1948, in Gas City, she married Hermer Franklin “Dick” Draper, who preceded her in 1950. She married Royce Beeson in 1954; they later divorced but remained close friends. She formerly worked as a switchboard operator for Owens Illinois glass factory in Gas City for three years and Crown Lanes Bowling Alley in Gas City for two years. She moved to the North Webster area in 1987 from Gas City. She was a member of the Kosciusko County Home Extension Club, Tippecanoe Township Home Extension Club, Calamity Jane Club in Gas City and Owens Illinois Ladies Auxiliary. She was a former member of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gas City and the Barbee Conservation Club, where she was a Lady Hoosier. She was an avid euchre player and was inducted into the Marion Bowling Hall of Fame in 1985. She is survived by a daughter, Patrise Ann Beeson, North Webster; two sons, Dan Edward Draper, Upland, and Anthony Richard Draper, North Webster; four grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandson. She was preceded by her parents, first husband and a sister, Sherise Richards. Cremation will take place at Cremation Services of Kosciusko County. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Owen Family Funeral Home, Ind. 13 and CR 500N, North Webster, with Pastor Dennis Judy officiating. Private burial will be in North Webster Cemetery. ***** Memorials to North Webster Senior Citizens (SPEC), 301 N. Main St., North Webster, IN 46555; or North Webster Community Public Library, P.O. Box 825, North Webster, IN 46555-0825. To send condolences to the family in Ms. Beeson’s memory, visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com.
