Virginia Marie “Mae” Kuehler Beaty

Virginia Marie “Mae” Kuehler Beaty, 93, passed away on November 29, 2025, from causes related to age.
Mae was born on February 12, 1932, in Rhineland, Texas to Leo Frank and Beatrice Mary Herring Kuehler where she grew up alongside her siblings prior to graduating from Lorenzo High School in 1949. Mae played basketball and took part in several school activities including drama and 4-H.
On November 19, 1949, she married Dorval Beaty at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Lubbock. The couple began their life together on the family farm outside Lorenzo near Estacado. Their farmhouse became the first home to seven of their eight children. As much as she loved helping others, her greatest joy was raising and caring for her growing family.
She also worked as a beautician for local residents and kept her own children looking sharp with decades of home haircuts and styling. Mae was known to have the uncanny ability to make a five-star meal out of whatever happened to be in the cupboard.
In 1967, Mae and Dorval moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where they worked side by side at the family oyster bar. Mae later transitioned into a new profession with Barnett Bank.
The couple returned to Lorenzo in 1977 to care for their aging parents. Mae spent the next 20 years at Lorenzo State Bank, first as a bookkeeper and teller, and later as the receptionist who warmly greeted and put a smile on every customer as they walked through the door.
After she and Dorval retired, they relocated to McKinney, Texas, to be near six of their eight children and many of their grandchildren. A devoted member of St. Jude Parish, Mae volunteered faithfully, helping with monthly mailings and organizing bus transportation so her senior friends could attend Mass.
Late in life, even as Mae’s ability to openly communicate faded and her voice grew quiet, her faith remained strikingly clear. Those who came to offer her the Eucharist witnessed a remarkable grace.
Though everyday words often eluded her, she could recite the sacred prayers with clarity and devotion, each familiar phrase rising effortlessly from a place deeper than memory. With steady, reverent purpose, Mae traced the sign of the cross, her movements sure and meaningful, signifying a final, enduring testament to a lifetime of unwavering belief.
Mae is survived by her children Jerry “JW” Beaty, Julie (Paul) Deering, Jeana (Larry) Fitzgerald, Janet (Bob) Talabay, Joann (Charlie) Petit, Jalyn (Kristi) Beaty, and Jerel Beaty; sisters Lewellyn Moore and Marlene Kineman; brother Donnie Kuehler; 18 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dorval, her son James, grandson Christen, sister Lorene Barrett, and brother Enos Kuehler.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mae Beaty’s honor to St. Jude Catholic Church of Allen (1515 N. Greenville Ave., Allen, Tx 75002) or San Lorenzo Catholic Church of Lorenzo (PO Box 129, Lorenzo, Tx 79343).