Lee Oliver Beadle, 86, Vero Beach
Lee Oliver Beadle, long-standing resident of Vero Beach, FL, formerly of Winnetka, IL and Castle Park, MI, died peacefully at the age of 86.
Lee Oliver Beadle had an easy smile, an infectious laugh, loved to dance and surround herself with family, friends, interesting strangers and fuzzy Golden Retrievers.
She was born in Chicago on March 26, 1934, to the late Nancy Kling and John Oliver. Lee and her younger brother, Mark Oliver, were raised in Hinsdale, Ill., and Melbourne Beach, Fla., by their loving paternal grandmother, Ella Hossack Oliver.
Lee graduated from Vassar College in 1955 and married J. Grant Beadle of Lake Forest, Ill., on April 11, 1955. Lee and Grant recently celebrated 65 truly wonderful years together. They raised a loving family, cultivated life-long friendships and had the great fortune to have had many fabulous adventures, both close to home and in far-away places.
Lee loved giving back and took joy in her affiliations with the Junior League of Chicago, Benton House of Chicago (now part of Chicago Food Depository), Evanston Hospital and Vero Beach’s Senior Resource Association.
Lee was a beautiful, natural athlete. She won the NAAU platform diving championship during her formative years, played competitive tennis, was a nationally ranked paddle tennis player and would love to end the ski day with a 360 on Northstar in Breckenridge.
Her energy knew no limits. The grandkids loved play dates with Gammie as much as their parents. An afternoon with Gammie could easily exhaust all five grandkids.
Lee was an entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word. Tired of the boring, restrictive tennis dresses of her era, she designed her own line of stylish, comfortable tennis apparel with a tasteful dash of color and had them manufactured under her Love Game Tennis Fashions label.
If not on the tennis courts of Old Willow, Skokie Country Club or Castle Park, she likely could be found at The Merchandise Mart or Apparel Center in Chicago or in the basement taking inventory of her L.O.B. Enterprises merchandise. Affectionately known as The Merchant of Scott Avenue, if you were lucky enough, Lee would give you the family discount – wholesale plus shipping.
There were more ventures and start-ups than a Shark Tank episode, but a favorite was Lee’s Beads. When her Parkinson’s began to slow her down, Lee would sit for hours fashioning hundreds of necklaces from glass and gemstone beads. Her creations were sometimes beautiful, sometimes outlandish, but always memorable.
It’s fair to say that Lee loved garage sales, flea and farmer’s markets and was a renowned collector, not only of folk art and whirligigs, but devoted pets and countless best friends.
Lee had Parkinson’s, but it never interrupted her dogged determination to put on a show stopping dance with two canes, tap dance with her walker or decide to learn Spanish at age 86.
Yes, Lee lived every day to the fullest and never passed up a Chicago style hot dog.
She is survived by her husband, Grant; daughter, Kim “Kimmy” (Steve) Eikenberry, of Glencoe, Ill.; son, Jay (Joan) Beadle, of Glenview, Ill.; grandchildren, John (Jordan), of San Francisco, Calif., Kristin, of Los Angeles, Calif., and Thomas Beadle, of Denver, Colo., and Ross, of Austin, Texas, and Sarah Eikenberry, of Miami, Fla.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Mark Oliver, of Melbourne Beach, Fla.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you reach out to someone whose day you can brighten.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
