Bevie Oresta Padgett, 73, Decatur, passed away at 12:40 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 23, 2013) in her home with husband Dean by her side.

Her private graveside service will be Thursday at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Kenney, with the Rev. C. Don Ferrill officiating. Private family visitation will be Thursday at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Kenney Heritage Association or Kenney Fire Department.

Bevie was born May 12, 1939, in Denver, Colo., the daughter of Samuel W. and Merla R. Bradshaw Hayes. She married Dean Padgett on Aug. 8, 1958, in Clinton.

Bevie leaves behind her sister, Norma J. Dunakey; her brother, Samuel G. Hayes, Clinton; one niece, Jade Wolfe; and a cousin, Jack L. Hayes, Ramsey. Both of her parents preceded her in death.

Early in her marriage, she worked various jobs and because she was an avid reader, she decided to pursue more education. First, she graduated from Clinton Community High School in 1957. Next, she attended what is now Richland Community College and got her associate’s degree in 1975 and was initiated into Phi Theta Kappa. After doing that, she was a stay-at-home housewife. Her next adventure was to join the hospital auxiliary at Decatur Memorial Hospital, working various stations as well as the restaurant.

She was a long-standing member of the Decatur Woman’s Club before she finally let her membership lapse because of her affliction with Parkinson’s disease.