Beatrice Mae Waggoner Brubaker, 93, went to be with her Lord on Thursday, December 13, 2012. She was born May 30, 1919 to Missionaries Harry and Helen Waggoner in Baitalpur, Central Provinces, India. She came to America in 1935 when she was almost 16 years old to live at the Westervelt Home, a home for children of Christian missionaries in Columbia, SC where she finished her high school education at Columbia High School. She attended and graduated from Columbia Bible College in SC and attended Central Bible Institute as a special student in Springfield, MO.
She met Ralph Brubaker at a church camp meeting at Devil’s Lake, ND and began a long distance letter writing romance. Beatrice went to visit Ralph in Texas at the Army base and they decided to get married while she was there. They were married in Brownwood, Texas on May 6, 1943 before he left to serve in WWII.
Beatrice has always been active in church work and was a faithful homemaker. Part of her ministry was teaching preschool children in Warren OH’s Assembly of God church for 19 years. Along with her husband, she ministered in Jail Services for 48 years in Warren, Ohio where they were members for more than 50 years at Warren First Assembly of God. Both she and her husband sang in the church choir until Beatrice was 83, with many songs memorized. This included joining with other area choir members to sing “The Messiah.” She has been a resident of Maranatha Village and a member of Central Assembly in Springfield, MO since 2004
She is survived by her brother Don Waggoner, Springfield, MO and a sister Doris Powlison, Portland, OR. She will be missed by her children Mae Anne Heide and husband Bob of Tualatin, OR, Lois Anderson and husband Lynn of Springfield, MO, Russel Brubaker and wife Nancy of Alto, MI, Malcolm Brubaker and wife Cathy of Elverson, PA, Ritha Canales and husband Isaac of Carson, CA, and Kandy Bennett and husband David of Hilliard, OH. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren: Dwayne, Melanie, Annette, Scott, Kristi, Kevin, Chris, Kyle, Travis, Miriam, Nathan, Rebecca; Bethany, Josh, David, Coba, Erik, Kristin, Jared and 25 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be at 10:00 am, followed by the funeral at 11:00 am on Fri., Dec. 21, 2012, in Maranatha Chapel, 233 W. Norton Rd., Springfield, MO. Internment will be at the Missouri Veteran’s Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Convoy of Hope directly or C/O Greenlawn Funeral Home North. Online condolences may be left at www.greenlawnfuneralhome.com