William Addison Beall

William Addison Beall, of Luverne, AL, died March 24, 2018, at home after an extended illness. Dr. Beall was born January 13, 1934 in the Vernledge Community to Nora Mitchell and Jesse Ray Beall and was a devoted son throughout his parents’ life. He graduated from Luverne High School and was a first generation graduate from the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Billy attended the University of Alabama School of Dentistry graduating with honors. He married Sue Speed in June of 1957 and they lived in Birmingham while he completed Dental School and afterwards began serving two years in the United States Navy.
They moved to Pensacola, FL and Billy was selected by the US Navy to be part of the medical examining team on the famous chimpanzee Ham immediately before and after Ham’s historic flight through space which lead to human space travel. In 1961, Billy and Sue moved to Luverne where he practiced dentistry for over 40 years. One of his greatest personal accomplishments was having a successful Dental practice in a rural area for so many years.
Dr. Beall received numerous honors from his Dental peers through the years, but two that stand out are a Fellowship from the American College of Dentists and a Fellowship from the American Associations of Hospital Dentists. He was a member of the American Dental Association and served as chair of all offices and the executive boards on the Alabama Dental Association.
Billy was an active member of the community, serving in the Crenshaw County Shriners Club, where he worked with disabled children by helping provide fundraising, necessary life giving surgeries and prosthetics. As a Luverne Rotary Club fifty year member he served as President and was bestowed with Rotary International’s highest honor, the Paul Harris Fellow award. Billy combined his love for his civic organizations with his love for Dentistry by traveling to the Ukraine to teach more modern dental procedures and bringing updated dental equipment and instruments to improve the dental care of young children.
Dr. Beall was a founding member of Crenshaw Christian Academy and served as the first Chairman of the Board. He was awarded the G. Dale Sasser Booster of the Year 2001 and continued to support all endeavors of the Academy.
Billy was Crenshaw County’s Citizen of the year in 2001. He was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of First Citizen Bank serving diligently since inception and was recently honored with the status of Director Emeritus.
Dr. Beall was a loving, and devoted husband for 60 years and caring father and grandfather to his three children and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Ray and Nora Lillian Mitchell Beall. Surviving are his wife, Sue Speed Beall of Luverne; three children, Jeffrey Beall and wife Jenny of Birmingham, Allyson Beall Carroll of Luverne, and Cameron Beall Jordan of Winston-Salem, NC; five grandchildren, Addison, Kendrick and Kathleen Beall of Birmingham, Lillian Carroll of Luverne, and John Henry Addison (Jack) Jordan of Winston-Salem, NC, and family friend, Katarina Lazovic from Belgrade, Serbia.
The family wishes to thank his loving Caregivers, Gussie Carter, Ethel Dorsey, Vicky Register Pearlie Willis and Letha Willis of Luverne and his hospice caregivers with SouthernCare Hospice Services of Greenville.
The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 29, at the First Baptist Church of Luverne with graveside service to follow in Luverne Emmaus Cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the church at 10:00 AM prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the:
First Baptist Church, 45 E. 3rd Street, Luverne, AL 36049
First United Methodist Church, 88 E. 1st Street Luverne, AL 36049
Crenshaw Christian Academy, 608 Country Club Drive, Luverne, AL 36049
Crenshaw County Alcazar Shriner’s Club, 1704 Montgomery Hwy. Luverne, AL 36049
University of Alabama Birmingham School of Dentistry, WAB FD
SDB 212, 1720 2nd Ave. S. Birmingham, AL 35294