Patricia Louise Workman Beal

Patricia Louise Workman Beal, 61, passed away on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 in the home of family at Lake Gaston.

A native of Portsmouth, VA and graduate of Churchland High School, Trisha was the first in her family to attend college. She studied nursing at the Medical College of Virginia and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1972. Her career was spent serving the local community, as a nurse for both the Norfolk Department of Public Health and the Portsmouth Public School System.

A lover of the arts, she has sung with choirs since her time with the Villagers at Churchland High School. In some of her happiest moments, Trisha was known to burst into dance, and particularly loved doing the jitterbug with her sisters. She made crafts and flower arrangements in her spare time, and was a voracious reader, making her a regular at the Littleton Library in Littleton, NC. Her neighbors knew her as a warm, friendly face from the time she spent enjoying the outdoors and going for walks.

Daughter of the late Sam and Jean Workman, she is survived by her daughter, Rachel (Beal) Popowski and husband, Matthew; her son, Kelly Beal and wife, Danielle; three sisters, Evelyn Crawford, Linda Buchanan, and Diane Wood; a brother, Sam Workman; their spouses and several beloved nieces and nephews. In the days before her passing, Trisha was staying at Lake Gaston, enjoying the company of her sister Diane and her good friend and brother-in-law, Stephen Wood.

A private family gathering will be held to celebrate her life.