Dr. Shevaun Irene Beck

Dr. Shevaun Irene Beck died on September 11, 2019 at the age of 93. She was born to Thomas and Irene Horan on January 4, 1926. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert N. Beck of 51 years, her parents, her brothers, Lawrence and Tommie, her stepson, Steve, her stepdaughter, Scharlene, and her daughter-in law, Marty. She is survived by five sons Michael, Patrick, Thomas (Martha), Timothy, and Terry (Laurie), and one daughter, Mary Clare Lee (Jerry). She also leaves seven granddaughters, Kimberly, Michelle, Katy, Jennifer, Lauren, Tracie and Victoria and five grandsons, Austin, Danny, TW, Sean, and Joshua as well as five great grandchildren.

After graduating from high school and San Antonio Junior College in San Antonio in 1944, she joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps and received her nursing education at Santa Rosa Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Incarnate Word College in 1947. Following graduation, she moved to Corpus Christi where she worked in the operating room and the maternity unit at Spohn Hospital. Twenty-five years later, she earned a Masters Degree in Education from Texas A&I University in Kingsville. Fifteen years after that she was awarded a PhD in Nursing from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Beck taught nursing for over 35 years in Corpus Christi. She began at the Dougherty School of Nursing at Spohn Hospital, moved to Del Mar College when the nursing program was offered there and ended her nursing career when she retired from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 1995.

During her long career, she belonged to many nursing organizations such as the Texas Nursing Association and Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, and was listed in Who’s Who in American Nursing. She was an intern for six months at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Washington, D.C. She received several grants from NIH to further the continuing and graduate education of the nurses in South Texas.

She was a long-term member of Corpus Christi Cathedral Parish where she served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She was also active in the St. Anne’s Altar and Rosary Society and the Bereavement Committee. She was one of the money counters at the Cathedral for many years. More recently she became a member of St. Patrick Parish.

She was a volunteer at Charlie’s Place after her husband died. He had been a founder of Charlie’s Place and a member of the Board of Directors for 46 years. She organized a memorial to the founders of Charlie’s Place by writing its history, preserving vital documents related to its founders and history in an archive called Founders’ Club, and serving on the Board of Directors.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to both Dr. David Sutter and the staff of Nurses on Wheels for the exceptional care that was provided.

A Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at Seaside Funeral Home Chapel. A Rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. that same evening. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 16, 2019 at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Interment to follow at Seaside Memorial Park.

Having the distinguished honor to serve as pallbearers are: Donald Harris, Sean Beck, Josh Beck, Daniel Beck, Lucas Lee and Alex Torres.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Catholic Worker House, 210 S. Carrizo Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (www.ddcwhcc.org).

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.