Naomi Ann Beaty
Obituary

Naomi Beaty, 77, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on September 20th after a long illness. She is survived by her husband, John; sons, Mark and Josh; daughters-in-law Maeve and Anne; and grandchildren, Olive, Jude, and Eli.

Born on February 11, 1949, at St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens, New York, Naomi was the daughter of Richard and Della Barrons. Richard was a career Navy officer, and Naomi grew up all over the world – London, Naples, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and, eventually, Texas. After graduating the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Education, she did student teaching in Austin before coming to Dallas as a special education teacher and educational diagnostician. In 1973, a colleague at her school set her up on a blind date with a school psychologist, and, in 1974, this blind date with John turned into marriage. In the 1980s, she took some time off to raise Mark and Josh, but she returned to teaching in Plano as a reading specialist. In total, she taught for over 40 years, with a passion for helping students learn to read. She strongly believed in the ability of every student to develop into life-long learners, and when she retired from the classroom, she maintained her commitment to students through a busy tutoring practice.

Naomi’s life revolved around kids. She felt purpose and fulfillment helping her students learn to read, and she found great joy cooking with Olive, hearing Jude talk about his day at school, and reading to Eli. Naomi raised Mark and Josh to be the kind of sons that would be good fathers – like her father, like her husband. She was a good mom, a loving grandmother, and a natural teacher.

She was also a big kid herself, with a big laugh and big emotions. And she was a good sport in a house full of boys, a husband and two sons who would tease and joke and do just about anything to provoke that laugh. Josh will miss taking her to movies and watching her reactions, always visible on her face, always audible to the rest of the theater. Mark and Naomi share a passion for food, especially pastries and other baked goods, and even when she could no longer eat them, they relished discovering new bakeries, discussing recipes, and, of course, the vicarious enjoyment of others. John loved to travel with Naomi: they regularly stayed in Santa Fe, twice toured Ireland, and visited Mark and Josh in far-flung places like Spain, England, Boston, and San Diego.

Naomi Ann Barrons Beaty led life with her heart, and she leaves that legacy to all who loved her.

A memorial will be announced soon. Donations in her name can be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude’s Hospital.