Esther Iona Beard

June 17, 1927 - February 9, 2023

Funeral Services for Esther Iona Schmidt Beard, 95, of Guy, TX, are set for 11 AM Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at Needville Methodist Church, 8602 Church Street, Needville, TX 77461 . The Graveside Service will be 2 PM Wednesday at Brown Beard Cemetery.

Esther Schmidt Beard died February 9, 2023, in Sugar Land, TX. She was born June 17, 1927, in Needville, TX, to Anton B. Schmidt and Ida May Dippel Schmidt.

A lifelong resident of Fort Bend County. Esther was a 1944 graduate of Richmond High School and a 1948 graduate of TSCW. She returned to Needville to become a member of the founding faculty of Needville High School where she taught for several years.

Active in 4-H Club work, she was an Adult Leader for 10 years. She was the organist in the 1960s for the Needville Methodist Church, a church that her father built. She was a lifetime member of NMC.

After raising her children, she became involved in local historic research and remained an active member of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission (1983-2004). She will be remembered for her work in obtaining historical markers for old, rural cemeteries in the county and individual Military Service markers for cemeteries.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Sidney B. Beard, daughter, Amelia Jo Beard, brother, Roy W. Schmidt, and sister Edna Schmidt.

Survivors are her daughters, Bonnie Beard of Missouri City, TX, Rebecca Junker and Jim Keller, husband, of Richmond, TX, and her sons, Sidney Beard III, and wife Sandra Beard, and Tommy Beard of Guy, TX. Grandchildren, Wendy Bell of Ventura, CA., Kristin B. Morgan of Houston, TX, Chief Petty Officer, USN, Sidney Andrew Beard of Hampton, VA., Eric Junker of Richmond, TX and Mason Sydow of Guy, TX. She had 7 Great granddaughters and 3 great grandsons.

Memorial Donations may be given in her memory to Local History Department of George Memorial Library, 1001 Golfview, Richmond, TX 77469.

Condolence messages may be written for the Beard family at www.garmanycarden.com

Services are under the direction of Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, 1201 4th Street, Rosenberg, TX 77471 (281)342-4671.