Meet Your Neighbor: Beulah Glasgow

By Lora Scripps News-Aegis

Leeds — Recently, Leeds resident Beulah Glasgow celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by a host of family and friends. She reached a milestone many can only wish to attain. However, those who know her are well aware that her young-at-heart and young-in-spirit outlook is what leads her through each day.

“Sweet Beulah,” as she is known to some of her friends, has been working tirelessly since she moved to the area just to bring a smile to another person’s face. Her work is stuffing teddy bears with friends from the Ashville Road Church of Christ through a mission she created.  They can make up to 200 in a week.

“That is really my life,” she said. “Making bears. I think that is why I am so content.”

Beulah said it all started in Gulf Shores when a group of ladies got together to make bears. She continued doing it for the next four years before moving to Moody.  When she started to church in Leeds she shared her love for making bears and has continued the mission for the last five years.  Beulah and the Ashville Church of Christ bears have been delivered to nursing homes, police stations, fire departments, hospitals and overseas to places like Russia and Romania.  This year they have already sent 1,900 to the children of Romania.  She said it just breaks her heart to see how happy children are when they receive a homemade bear.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed doing it,” she said.  “I love people and I love giving things to people. If I had my way about it, I would give everybody something.” 

Beulah grew up in Bessemer and moved to Gulf Shores with her late husband, Ed, after they both retired.  She spent the prior 25 years in Bessemer working for Union Oil. 

“My husband worked for U.S. Steel and after he retired he wanted to moved to Gulf Shores to have a shrimp boat and a fishing boat,” she said. “So, that is what we did.” 

She admitted she doesn’t care much for fishing, but she did love living on the coast.

Beulah met Ed while living in Bessemer. She noted he saw her walking across the road one day and joked he just had to know who she was. They were married 62 years. They are also the parents of two children, Ed Jr. and the late Wayne Glasgow.  Wayne lived in Moody before passing away from multiple sclerosis and Ed lives in Houston with his family.

“They were here for my party,” Beulah said. “I didn’t know anything about it. I knew I was going to Red Lobster with my friend, Paula Reeves, for my birthday, but had no idea that there was a big party waiting for me.”

She said she looked up and there sat her son and grandson along with about 50 other friends and family. “I did not know one thing about it.”

Beulah said she loves Leeds and is thankful her son Wayne encouraged her to move. “It is such a quaint, clean city,” she said. “I just love it here.”

She admits she also loves all people. “I never met a stranger,” she said. “There is something good about everybody.” At her birthday party, a friend summed it up by saying, “Everybody loves Beulah and Beulah loves everybody.”

Beulah said she lives by the scripture from Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want.” “I sure never want,” she said. “I would much rather give.” 

 

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