Mildred Louise (Winfrey) Beckham (1929 - 2001)

Born 9 Nov 1929 in Shepherd, San Jacinto, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 7 Jun 2001 at age 71 in Texas, United States

Biography

Mildred Louise (Winfrey) Beckham (also known as Granny), was the most amazing and sweetest women in the world, she was the glue that held the family together, born Nov 9, 1929 in Shepherd, San Jacinto County, Texas to Zera Thaddeus "Thad" Winfrey and Ada Myrtle Gaston, her family moved to Houston, Texas to live with her brother Howard Winfrey about 1945 where she met LC, at the time she was studying cosmetology and would do hair for the women in her church and community. In 1950, she worked as a sales lady at White's department store off of Broadway and Elm Street going away from the Bayou (The building has long been demolished). Between 1955-1958 she worked as a baker making breads and desserts for several restaurants in the area near where they lived, In her later years when we (the grandkids) were much younger btw 1979-1984 she worked at the laundry mat up the street from the neighborhood where she lived, where we would go and visit and play in the laundry carts and race them around when there was no one in there to bother, she quit her job in 1984 to stay home and take care of LC after his first heart surgery. Granny and Grandpa lived in the Royal Wood subdivision at 13329 Verdun St in Houston, Texas. The house is no longer there, the day of Grandpa Beckham's funeral we tore the house down as it was getting old and beyond repair, we had already moved Granny into a trailer onto the property next to the old house before then.

Granny was an amazing cook and baker, she loved to make the holiday's special for her family and friends, but Halloween is when she shined making it even more special. At Halloween she would bake loaves of different breads or cakes and wrap them in wax paper to pass out instead of candy which she was famous for in the neighborhood and within her church and turned her house into a haunted house for her grandkids and threw Halloween parties for her family. Sadly, she passed away at Silver Springs Healthcare Center on Jun 7, 2001, the morning Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston. Mildred was born in 1929. She was the daughter of Zera Winfrey and Ada Gaston. She passed away in 2001.

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #6473006

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6473006/mildred_louise-beckham: accessed February 23, 2024), memorial page for Mildred Louise Winfrey Beckham (9 Nov 1929–7 Jun 2001), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6473006, citing Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA; Maintained by CindyC. (contributor 47733662).