Skip to main content

Beulah Mae O’Neal 

Thu, 12/24/2020 - 07:32

Beulah Mae O'Neal, 82, a longtime resident of Bridgehampton who, with her husband, William Samuel O'Neal, reared seven children in that hamlet, died on Dec. 12 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital from complications of Covid-19.

Born on April 29, 1938, in Aurora, N.C., Mrs. O'Neal was the daughter of Hazel Battle and the former Vivian Inez Clark. She graduated in 1956 from S.W. Snowden High School in Aurora, and was married in 1957.

"Oh, yeah," said one of her sons, Louis, "she was a strong woman. She and our father first came to Bridgehampton as migrant workers. We settled here permanently in 1968, first on Butter Lane, and then on Huntington Crossway."     
"She worked for the Halsey family, Ray Halsey, at the Green Thumb farm in Water Mill for well over 20 years," he said. "They were very, very kind to her. She worked there up until her late 70s. I once asked her why she didn't get into secretarial work or something like that, and she told me work was work -- she was happy working outside and not having to put with a lot of nonsense in an office."

"Many will remember her kindness and friendly smile and 'tell it like it is' attitude," Mr. O'Neal's wife, Tina, wrote in an email. "She enjoyed the outdoors -- she always had her hand in and around plantings, flowers, fruit, and vegetables. . . . To say she was a good cook is an understatement."

In May 2012, Mrs. O'Neal was honored as the Mother of the Triune Baptist Church in Sag Harbor.

She is survived by five of her seven children. Besides Louis O'Neal, who lives in East Hampton, they are Sam O'Neal of Hampton Bays, Teresa O'Neal of Bridgehampton, Cynthia O'Neal of Brooklyn, and Brontie O'Neal of Riverhead. Two sons, Patrick and Jeffrey, died before her, as did her husband.

Five siblings survive as well: Chester Acklin of St. Louis, Deloris Clark of Aurora, N.C., Tommy Clark, also of Aurora, Hal Alfred of Brooklyn, and Curtis Clark of Bridgehampton. Three sisters, Peggy Smith, Patricia Bryant, and Dorothy Clark, died before her, as did a brother, Willie Clark Jr., and a granddaughter, Delonda Myers.

Also among the survivors are her grandchildren Raymond Gilliam III, Michelle Gilliam, Tashara Gramby, Samantha O'Neal, Myra O'Neal, Raya O'Neal, and Daquan Eleazer, as well as a special friend who the family said was "like a sister," Pearl Coffey, and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Funeral services were held at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton on Dec. 15, the Rev. Henry Faison Jr. of the First Baptist Church of Southampton officiating. Burial took place the next day at Edgewood Cemetery in Bridgehampton. 
 

Villages

Volunteers Take Up Invasives War at Morton

Most people go to the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac, part of the National Wildlife Refuge system, to feed the friendly birds. On Saturday, however, 15 people showed up instead to rip invasive plants out of the ground.

Apr 24, 2025

Item of the Week: Wild Times at Jungle Pete’s

A highlight among Springs landmarks, here is a storied eatery and watering hole that served countless of the hamlet’s residents, including the Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock.

Apr 24, 2025

The Sweet Smell of Nostalgia at Sagaponack General

Stepping into the new Sagaponack General Store, which reopened yesterday after being closed since 2020, is a sweet experience, and not just because there’s a soft-serve ice cream station on the left and what promises to be the biggest penny candy selection on the South Fork on your right, but because it’s like seeing an old friend who, after some struggle, made it big. Really, really big.

Apr 17, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.