Rebecca Owens Beck

ROCKY MOUNT – Rebecca Owens Beck of Rocky Mount passed away after an extended illness on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Her life's work was caring for children. Whether raising her own three children, looking after her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, or treating children as a nurse – she was dedicated to nurturing children and ensuring their health and safety. Rebecca was born May 12, 1935, on Mother's Day, in High Point, NC. She grew up and attended school in Randleman, NC. After graduating high school, she entered the High Point Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. She started her career as a Registered Nurse at High Point Memorial after graduation. While working there, she met High Point native Walter Beck, who had just returned home from a tour of duty with the US Air Force in the Korean War. They were married on May 11, 1957, and made their first home in High Point. Rebecca became a stay-at-home mom as the family moved with Walter's job to Greensboro and Hickory before settling in Rocky Mount in 1963. After her three children started school, Rebecca resumed her nursing career, first at Parkview Hospital and later at Nash General Hospital. She left hospital nursing to work as a school nurse with the Rocky Mount City Schools in the 1970s as part of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, ensuring that all school children had full access to health care services. She became a public health nurse in the 1980s. She worked in both Nash and Edgecombe Counties, conducting Well Baby Clinics, serving as Child Health Supervisor and handling many other duties until her retirement in the 1990’s. Rebecca thoroughly enjoyed her retirement years, traveling extensively with her husband, including a cross-country trek in 2000. She was a devoted crafter, spending many hours painting, sewing, and cross-stitching. She also loved dolls, collecting, and restoring a wide variety. Her cooking was legendary, and friends and family were always welcomed at her table. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Clyde Beck, Jr.; her parents, Leonard and Helen Owens; her sister, Lynda Owens Petty; and her brother, Randy Owens. She is survived by her daughter, Margaret Beck of Kernersville; her sons, Weldon and Gregg Beck of Rocky Mount; her son-in-law, Richard Pecorella of Kernersville; her sister-in-law, Fern Beck Brown of Connelly Springs, NC; her grandchildren, Celeste Beck Johnson of Nashville, Cable Beck of Raleigh, and Megan Beck Williams of Rocky Mount; her three great-granddaughters; her two great-grandsons; and many beloved nephews and nieces. A Special Gathering of Family and Friends to celebrate Rebecca’s life will be held on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Ave., Rocky Mount, NC 27804. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Hospice Care of Wilson, 1901 Tarboro St SW #301, Wilson, NC 27893, 252-640-2400. Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com.