She was paralyzed from just below her arms; and then two years later, on Aug. 25, 2002, she died from infections caused by her injury.
The man convicted of killing her died of natural causes at the age of 31 in Lebanon Correctional Institution on June 29 this year.
Beall’s husband, John Beall, who is 49 and a 21-year veteran of the Dayton police department, said recently, “Our family feels that time has helped with our suffering. But the deep pain never goes away. It is always with me and the kids. ...I think it was Martin Luther King who once said, ‘character is measured during tragedy, not when things are going good.’ I have tried to teach the children of our family to live that way.”
He added, “I am very proud of my kids. They didn’t use their mom’s tragedy as an excuse to act out. They have forged ahead successfully.”
Beall’s youngest daughter, Maddie, is 17 and a senior at Carroll High School where she is on the honor roll.
Son Ian is 23 and in the U.S. Navy. He is a cryptologist based in Seattle, Wash. He has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Ian is a five-year veteran of the Navy, and Beall said his son is about to re-enlist.
Eldest child, Vanessa, is 26 and lives in Lexington, Ky., where she works for the state as a forensic scientist.
John Beall, along with daughter Vanessa and a nephew, Charlie, recently participated in a half marathon in Louisville, Ky., as members of the Christopher and Dana Reeve team.
The Reeves, both of whom have since passed away, wrote to support Mary Beall when she was fighting for her life. The Beall family donated the funds they raised in the race to the Reeve research fund.
This summer, in August, John Beall and his family, including his brother, Kenny Beall, a Dayton police officer, hosted an annual golf tournament in Dayton that has grown more successful each of the eight years it has been held.
The $1,500 raised at this year’s event was given to Carroll, Chaminade Julienne and Immaculate Conception schools as scholarship money for students in need.
Meanwhile, Sara Beall, 32, John’s niece, and her husband, Mathew Kleinsorge, have been supportive of the extended family. They live in northern Georgia.
“In my Aunt Mary’s honor I am helping my family celebrate health,” Sara said. “Mathew and I hiked to the top of Brasstown Bald, the highest spot in Georgia.
“There is something about losing a loved one to violence that just defies the natural order of things. ... For me, (the hike helps) brings her story back into the holy natural order.”
Sara said she feels the spiritual presence of her Aunt Mary.
“Her badge number was 214, and I keep connecting with it. My room number at college was 214. One of my classrooms was 214. The house number of our home is 214.”
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