Beverly Alba Beall McDaniel, 84 passed away on Saturday, March 14, 2026. She was born on Oct. 18, 1941, in Brewton, Alabama, to Charlie and Alice Till Larkin Beall. She was a playful child who loved her hometown and was often found adventuring outdoors with her best friend Beth, playing in ditches and pretending to be Lewis and Clark.

In 8th grade, she fell for her across-the-street neighbor, Ronald McDaniel. While her friends fawned over his brother, Charlie, Beverly only had eyes for Ronnie. He impressed her with his Little League baseball skills and natural leadership abilities. They dated on and off through high school and into college. In high school, she was elected “Class Favorite.” She was a cheerleader and pursued her interest in music, playing saxophone, guitar, and piano.

After high school, Beverly followed Ronnie to Auburn University and was a passionate AU fan throughout her life. Her love of children led her to study education, and her extroverted nature thrived as a proud Alpha Delta Pi sorority sister. After college, Ronnie joined the Navy and was sent to Vietnam. He proposed through the mail, sending the ring all the way from Hong Kong. Beverly’s dear friend Diane stood in for him, getting down on one knee so it would feel official. They married in 1965 and left their small town behind for the Navy base in Coronado, California. Ronnie was eventually sent back to Vietnam, but Beverly was far from alone. She formed lasting friendships with other Navy wives and created some of her fondest memories traveling and exploring the state.

This was not the last of Beverly’s adventures as the wife of a career naval aviator. She and Ronnie soon moved to Milton, Florida, where she began her teaching career as a high school English and history teacher. When their two daughters, Beth and Kate, were born, she shined as a devoted mother, always putting them first, reading to them nightly, and becoming a constant presence at their schools as a room mom, chaperone, and PTA leader. She taught them the importance of kindness, humor, thrill-seeking, and avoiding tackiness at all costs.

When Ronnie was deployed, she ran the household, juggling homework, meals, and frequent moves — all while maintaining a career she loved. They relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas, then to Virginia Beach, where Beverly was appointed ombudsman for the naval squadron. Their first stint in Panama City began in 1977, when they became active members of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church and Beverly taught Sunday school. They left when Ronnie was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Sicily, then spent several years in Meridian, Mississippi, where Beverly was a successful real estate agent.

Ronnie retired as a Commanding Officer, closing out a distinguished career that colleagues said was only possible through Beverly — “the woman behind the man.” They moved back to Panama City in 1987, and she quickly began her next great adventure as Headmistress of Holy Nativity Episcopal School, a role she held for more than 20 years.

Ronnie passed away in 1989, and with her signature positivity and fearlessness, she persevered, pouring herself into her work and growing the small church side school into a K–8 institution centered on warmth, joy, and character-building education. Everything came back to the Golden Rule. Students were taught to treat others with empathy and respect above all else. She thrived as a leader, bringing cheerfulness, practical problem-solving, and a firm but loving style to the role. A misbehaving student sent to her office was met with a peppermint and a hug. An unhappy parent was quickly reassured with her “handling without handling” approach. She stood her ground while ensuring others felt heard and understood. She worked long days and often weekends, personally answering after-hours calls with, “This is Beverly McDaniel.” Outside school, she attended her students’ games, her loud cheers booming from the sidelines. She was often found donning a silly hat or passing a basketball with a group of students.

She rarely said no and had an uncanny memory, especially when it came to students and their families. After one meeting, she knew their names, their parents’ names, and who their “people” were. Friends attribute this skill to her genuine care for others, saying you tend to remember things about people who are important to you — and everyone was important to her.

Her love for her students did not stop at graduation. She remained close with many of them, their families, and eventually their children. She was a fixture at their weddings, baby showers, and other milestone events. When she retired in 2008, she left behind an unmistakably loving culture, an education rooted in kindness, and a calendar full of beloved school traditions.

Retirement provided more time for her passions — Auburn sports, reading, music, and her cats — but within a year she was back at it as Director of Children’s Ministry at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church. She held that role for nearly 17 years, extending her legacy to even more children, who, like all kids, were drawn to her like a magnet.

She received numerous dedications, and her name appears on many plaques, but her memory lives most fiercely in the hearts of her friends, family, and, of course, the students she shaped over decades of education.

She is survived by her daughter Kate McDaniel Watson and husband Jeff; sister Becky Beall Galdorisi and husband George; brother-in-law Charles McDaniel and wife Nancy; nieces Laura O’Sullivan (JT), Lauren Luczkow (Eric), Brett Kirkendall (Kevin); and nephew Brian Galdorisi (Annie). She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Joseph and Alice Larkin, who helped raise her; her mother, Alice Till Larkin Beall; her husband, Ronald McDaniel; her daughter, Beth McDaniel; and her sister-in-law Kandace Kelly McDaniel.

Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 4 p.m. in the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church. The family will receive friends at the church from 3-4 p.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family request that memorial donations be made to the Holy Nativity Episcopal School in memory of Beverly McDaniel.