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'''Mary Kay Beard''' (born [[January 22]], [[1945]] in Eldon, Missouri; died [[April 17]], [[2016]] in Jefferson City, Missouri) was a former bank robber and the founder of the [[Angel Tree]] ministry, an international effort to benefit the children of prison inmates. She currently runs her own group of ministries from her home in [[Center Point]].
[[File:Mary Kay Beard.jpg|right|thumb|Mary Kay Beard]]
'''Mary Kay Petet Beard''' (born [[January 22]], [[1945]] in Springfield, Missouri; died [[April 17]], [[2016]] in Jefferson City, Missouri) was a former bank robber and the founder of the [[Angel Tree]] ministry, an international effort to benefit the children of prison inmates.


Mary Kay grew up in the midwest, the fifth of nine children in the family of a devoted Christian mother and an alcoholic and abusive father. She patterned her early life to be like her mother, graduating at the top of her class in high school at 15 and completing nursing school in record time. A brief marriage that produced two children ended in divorce. Later she met Paul Mahaffey, a music promoter and gambler, as well as bank robber and safecracker. She married him nine days after they met and gradually fell into his life of crime. At first she just assisted with gambling cheats, but soon she was holding up banks herself and even staged a prison break to free her husband.
Mary Kay was the daughter of Cleveland Francis and Mamie Grace (Crawford) Petet of Missouri. She grew up in the midwest, the fifth of nine children in the family of a devoted Christian mother and an alcoholic and abusive father. She patterned her early life to be like her mother, graduating at the top of her class at Eldon High School at 15 and completing nursing school in record time. A brief marriage that produced two children ended in divorce.


Paul abandoned her during a long hospital stay. She continued the criminal life, partnering with two of her husbands former associates. The stakes continued to climb and by 1972 she was on the FBI's most-wanted list and had a contract on her life from crossing the mafia in a diamond heist.
Later she met Paul Mahaffey, a music promoter and gambler, as well as bank robber and safecracker. She married him nine days after they met and gradually fell into his life of crime. At first she just assisted with gambling cheats, but soon she was holding up banks herself and even staged a prison break to free her husband. Paul abandoned her during a long hospital stay, but she continued the criminal life, partnering with two of her husband's former associates. The stakes continued to climb and by [[1972]] she was on the FBI's most-wanted list and had a contract on her life from crossing the mafia in a diamond heist.


She was arrested by the FBI in Peoria, Illinois in June 1972 and charged with 11 federal and 35 state counts of grand larceny and armed robbery. She did time at the Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, from 1972 to 1978. While in prison she started attending church services and reading the Bible. The other states that had outstanding warrants eventually dropped the charges and she was unexpectedly paroled after serving only six years. Her success with classes at Tutwiler earned her a scholarship to [[Auburn University]], where she completed her Masters in education in 1982. She also met and married former prisoner [[Don Beard]] on January 29, 1984.
She was arrested by the FBI in Peoria, Illinois in June 1972 and charged with 11 federal and 35 state counts of grand larceny and armed robbery. She did time at the Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, from 1972 to 1978. While in prison she started attending church services and reading the Bible. The other states that had outstanding warrants eventually dropped the charges and she was unexpectedly paroled after serving only six years. Her success with classes at Tutwiler earned her a scholarship to [[Auburn University]], where she completed her bachelor's degree and a master of arts in counseling.


In 1982 she joined Prison Fellowship, a Virginia-based national prison ministry founded by Chuck Colson, where she was asked to serve as Alabama State Director, and to create a Christmas program. She disdained the usual practice of bringing small gifts to inmates because she had seen that often, the women would turn around and give those tubes of toothpaste and bottles of shampoo to their children, who otherwise would get nothing for Christmas. Instead, she created the "Angel Tree". She placed a Christmas tree in two shopping malls with the names and ages of prisoner's children. The ministry delivered gifts to over 550 children that first year and grew to serve over 6.3 million children around the world.
After graduating in [[1982]] she joined Prison Fellowship, a Virginia-based national prison ministry founded by Chuck Colson, where she was asked to serve as Alabama State Director. She met and married former prisoner [[Don Beard]] on [[January 29]], [[1984]], exchanging vows in the chapel at Tutwiler Prison.


She and her husband founded several other social service programs, including the [[Shepherd's Fold]] halfway house in [[West End]], the Encourager Center for Biblical Counseling in Houston, and [[Encourager Ministries]] and [[Impact Family Counseling]] in Birmingham. Don Beard died in 2006.
Prison Fellowship asked Beard to create a Christmas program. She disdained the usual practice of bringing small gifts to inmates because she had seen that often, the women would turn around and give those tubes of toothpaste and bottles of shampoo to their children, who otherwise would get nothing for Christmas. Instead, she created the "Angel Tree". She placed a Christmas tree in two shopping malls with the names and ages of prisoner's children. The ministry delivered gifts to over 550 children that first year and grew to serve over 6.3 million children around the world.


In [[2006]], Beard was named the "Resident of the Year" by the [[Birmingham East Rotary Club]]. She died near her home town in Missouri in April [[2016]].
She and her husband founded several other social service programs, including the [[Shepherd's Fold]] halfway house in [[West End]], the Encourager Center for Biblical Counseling in Houston, and [[Encourager Ministries]] and [[Impact Family Counseling]] in Birmingham. She managed those ministries from her home in [[Center Point]], and was an active member and staff missionary at [[Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church]]. Her husband, Don, died in [[2006]].


<!--January 22, 1945 - April 17, 2016
Beard was named the "Resident of the Year" by the [[Birmingham East Rotary Club]] in 2006. In [[2014]] she moved to a nursing home in her home state of Missouri. She died there in April [[2016]]. She was survived by three children, 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Mary Kay Beard, age 71, of Jefferson City, Missouri, formerly of Birmingham, Alabama, passed from this life into the presence of the Lord on Sunday, April 17, 2016, at the Jefferson City Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was born January 22, 1945, in Springfield, Missouri, to her parents, Cleveland Francis Petet and Mamie Grace Crawford Petet. She was married to Joe Donald Beard on January 28, 1984, in the chapel at the Julia Tutwiler State Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama. Mary Kay graduated from Eldon High School in Eldon, Missouri. She later received a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and counseling and a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Mary Kay spent her life in Christian ministry. She ministered for many years with Gideons International. She was employed by Prison Fellowship as Alabama State Director. She and her husband Don founded Encourager Ministries and opened halfway houses and counseling centers for ex-offenders in Alabama and Texas. Together they founded and operated Shepherd's Fold halfway house in Birmingham, Alabama, in the mid 1980's, which would eventually expand to eleven homes throughout the State of Alabama. She worked for many years with the Alabama court system in youth and family counseling. She participated in faith-based programs with the Federal government. She traveled nationwide sharing her testimony of transformation through Jesus Christ. Her life and ministry are the subjects of Rogue Angel, written by Jodi Werhanowicz. Mary Kay was a member of First Assembly of God in Jefferson City. Prior to her return to Missouri in 2014, she was a long-time member of Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where she served as a staff missionary. She enjoyed reading, gardening, corresponding with friends, and spending time with family. She is survived by two sons, Charlie Ray Marshall and his wife Connie, of Kahoka, Missouri, and Sean Paul Petet and his wife Kelly, of Eldon, Missouri; by one daughter, Brenda Kay Haff and her husband Bill, of Geneseo, Illinois; by one brother, Donald Petet and his wife Billie, of Meridian, Idaho; by three sisters, Jean Sisul of Osage Beach, Missouri, Connie Humphrey of Jefferson City, Missouri, and Ilene Clark of Springfield, Missouri; by 10 grandchildren; by 14 great-grandchildren; and by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, by her husband, by three brothers, Bill Petet, Tom Petet, and Ron Petet, and by one sister, Joyce Curtis. A memorial service will take place on Thursday, April 21, at 11:00 at First Assembly of God in Jefferson City. Memorials are suggested to Gideons International for Bible placement.-->


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:2016 deaths]]
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[[Category:Criminals]]
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[[Category:Auburn alumni]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]

Latest revision as of 09:57, 22 April 2016

Mary Kay Beard

Mary Kay Petet Beard (born January 22, 1945 in Springfield, Missouri; died April 17, 2016 in Jefferson City, Missouri) was a former bank robber and the founder of the Angel Tree ministry, an international effort to benefit the children of prison inmates.

Mary Kay was the daughter of Cleveland Francis and Mamie Grace (Crawford) Petet of Missouri. She grew up in the midwest, the fifth of nine children in the family of a devoted Christian mother and an alcoholic and abusive father. She patterned her early life to be like her mother, graduating at the top of her class at Eldon High School at 15 and completing nursing school in record time. A brief marriage that produced two children ended in divorce.

Later she met Paul Mahaffey, a music promoter and gambler, as well as bank robber and safecracker. She married him nine days after they met and gradually fell into his life of crime. At first she just assisted with gambling cheats, but soon she was holding up banks herself and even staged a prison break to free her husband. Paul abandoned her during a long hospital stay, but she continued the criminal life, partnering with two of her husband's former associates. The stakes continued to climb and by 1972 she was on the FBI's most-wanted list and had a contract on her life from crossing the mafia in a diamond heist.

She was arrested by the FBI in Peoria, Illinois in June 1972 and charged with 11 federal and 35 state counts of grand larceny and armed robbery. She did time at the Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, from 1972 to 1978. While in prison she started attending church services and reading the Bible. The other states that had outstanding warrants eventually dropped the charges and she was unexpectedly paroled after serving only six years. Her success with classes at Tutwiler earned her a scholarship to Auburn University, where she completed her bachelor's degree and a master of arts in counseling.

After graduating in 1982 she joined Prison Fellowship, a Virginia-based national prison ministry founded by Chuck Colson, where she was asked to serve as Alabama State Director. She met and married former prisoner Don Beard on January 29, 1984, exchanging vows in the chapel at Tutwiler Prison.

Prison Fellowship asked Beard to create a Christmas program. She disdained the usual practice of bringing small gifts to inmates because she had seen that often, the women would turn around and give those tubes of toothpaste and bottles of shampoo to their children, who otherwise would get nothing for Christmas. Instead, she created the "Angel Tree". She placed a Christmas tree in two shopping malls with the names and ages of prisoner's children. The ministry delivered gifts to over 550 children that first year and grew to serve over 6.3 million children around the world.

She and her husband founded several other social service programs, including the Shepherd's Fold halfway house in West End, the Encourager Center for Biblical Counseling in Houston, and Encourager Ministries and Impact Family Counseling in Birmingham. She managed those ministries from her home in Center Point, and was an active member and staff missionary at Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church. Her husband, Don, died in 2006.

Beard was named the "Resident of the Year" by the Birmingham East Rotary Club in 2006. In 2014 she moved to a nursing home in her home state of Missouri. She died there in April 2016. She was survived by three children, 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

References

  • Werhanowicz, Jodi (2005) "Rogue Angel: The Spiritual Journey of one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted." Ezekiel Press
  • "Mary Kay Beard" obituary (April 20, 2016) Jefferson City News Tribune

External links

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