Velma Nadine Beckerdite, 87, lifelong resident of Harrisonville, Missouri, died Monday, October 7, 2013 at her home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, October 10, 2013 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville with burial in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Harrisonville. Visitation will be 6:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 9 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Velma was born December 21, 1925 on a farm outside of Harrisonville, Missouri, the daughter of Trucil and Minnie (Kohntopp) Hammontree. Her mother died in 1929. Trucil remarried in 1930 to Mildred (Holloway) Hedricks. Velma married Robert Beckerdite one year after high school. During WWII she worked as an inspector for Pratt & Whitney. She worked for the Kansas City Public Library until Robert returned from the war.
She and Robert farmed for a few years until they started a building business, where Velma designed many of the floor plans. She worked there until her divorce in 1973. Velma then worked as an inspector for Calmar in Lee’s Summit for 20 years until her retirement in 1993.
She traveled extensively throughout her life, including a trip to China, Japan and Hawaii in 1982 and another trip to Russia. She loved family, friends, books, music and genealogy. She recently planned and attended her 70th high school class reunion.
Velma was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Eugene Hammontree and step-brothers, Bill and Bob Hedricks. She is survived by four children, Anne Gentry, Harrisonville, Charles Beckerdite and his wife, Joan, Versailles, Missouri, Melinda Hipple, Baldwin City, Kansas and James Beckerdite and his wife, Cheryl, Harrisonville; one brother, Harold Hammontree; 5 grandchildren, Megan (Gentry) Rallis, Clint, Eric and Cameron Beckerdite and Aaron Hipple and one great-grandson, Maddox Rallis.
