Mary Etta (Curtis) Beaty

Mary Etta Beaty, 96, beloved mother, schoolteacher, farm wife, choir director, and friend, passed away on February 3, 2026, in New Albany, Indiana.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Ethel (Cato) Curtis; her brother, Gordon W. Curtis; and her husband, James Joseph Beaty Jr.

She is survived by her son, James J. (Janet) Beaty III, and her daughter, Nancy J. (Thomas) Hammack; four grandchildren, Commander James R. Beaty, USN, Jody (Ben) Hunt, Joseph S. (Chelsae Martinez) Beaty, and Sarah H. (Zach) Johnston; four great-grandchildren; and hundreds of her cherished “classroom children,” whose lives she shaped and inspired.

Mary Etta was born January 12, 1930, in Winslow, Indiana. She graduated from Oakland City College and Indiana University. On December 24, 1952, she married James Joseph Beaty Jr. in Paoli, Indiana, beginning a partnership that blended family, faith, farming, and service.

Her teaching career spanned nearly four decades. She taught 29 years at Lafayette Township Elementary School (now Floyds Knobs), five years at Morgan Township School in Palmyra, and four years at Paoli Elementary School. While teaching at Morgan Township, she also taught music one afternoon a week at St. Michael School in Bradford. Although her official teaching career ended in May 1992, her role as an instructor, encourager, and inspiration continued for more than 33 years afterward.

Mary Etta was a longtime member of Palmyra United Methodist Church, where she served for many years as choir director and organist. She also concurrently served as choir director at St. Michael’s, a role she deeply loved. Gifted musically, she played and sang for weddings and funerals, performed at the Stagecoach Restaurant in the 1960s, appeared on live radio in Salem in the late 1950s, and participated in the Indiana 150th History Pageant. She continued enjoying the piano until recent years.

She was an active member of Alpha Delta Kappa, the honorary teachers’ sorority, attending summer meetings with her ADK sisters throughout the United States and Canada. Her memberships also included the Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Education Association, and the Indiana State Teachers Association.

A longtime 4-H leader in Palmyra, Mary Etta took pride in her club’s frequent success at the Harrison County 4-H Talent Contest. She loved county fairs, the Indiana State Fair, and New Albany’s Harvest Homecoming.

In addition to teaching, she was a devoted farm wife for most of her adult life on the family farm near Palmyra. Summers were spent helping Joe and feeding the “hay-crew boys.”

Visitation will be held at Scott’s Funeral Home in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on Friday, February 13, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Visitation will also be held at Love Funeral Home in Palmyra, Indiana, on Saturday, February 14, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m.

Private burial will take place at Paoli Community Cemetery.

Memorial gifts may be made to Palmyra United Methodist Church.

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