Beatrice Elizabeth “Bea” Pasterczyk

Sunset Memorial Park
Funeral Home and Crematory, LLC
1700 Barrington Rd. Midland City, AL
(334) 983-6604
Robert and Toni Byrd

www.SunsetMemorialPark.com

Beatrice Elizabeth “Bea” Pasterczyk, formerly of the Rocky Head Community, passed away peacefully in her sleep with her family at the home of her son in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on June 25, 2019 at the age of 90.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Sunset Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Mount Olive Cemetery with Sunset Funeral Home directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm. A luncheon will be held at 1:30 pm following the ceremony at Rocky Head Church Fellowship Hall.

Born June 20, 1929 in Hong Kong to Henry Ching and Ruby (Kong) Ching, Bea was a loving mother and grandmother. Bea, who was known as Babs by her family growing up was the second eldest of five children, Ruby (Bonnie) d., Dorothy (Chubs), Henry (Sonny) and Charles (Chic) d. Henry Sr. served as editor of the South China Morning post for 33 years in Hong Kong and the family lived in Happy Valley, including the war-torn years of World War II when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong December 1941 through August 1945.

Bea chose nursing as a career and studied and trained in Australia and England. She received her Diploma from Tweed District Hospital, Murwillumbah, Australia in 1953. Among the certifications she achieved were; Certified in Operating Room Techniques and Management, 1956, Basic Cardiac Life Support instructor; Certified in Mothercraft, 1955. Member American Heart Association, General Nursing Council for England and Wales.

While traveling abroad, she met her future husband Rudolph A. Pasterczyk, they married in 1960 and lived in Brooklyn NY. She continued her career in nursing working as an Operating Room Nurse, Montefiore Hospital, Bronx, New York, 1961-1962. They lived abroad for several years while Rudy worked with the United Nations as a tool and die engineer working on various UN sanctioned projects in Pakistan and India. Rudy suffered a major stroke and they decided to return to the States. In 1967, Bea gave birth to their only child, Franklin, and they lived in Brooklyn NY until 1980. While in Brooklyn she continued her work in nursing, working as a Staff Nurse in the Surgical Unit of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn, 1974-1975, Assistant Head Nurse Acute Medical Unit, 1975-1979, Charge Nurse, Oncology, 1979-1980. During those years Bea continued her studies at night, earning the degrees of Bachelor of Science, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, 1976. Master of Science, Long Island University, 1980.

In 1980 the family moved to Ariton, Alabama and settled in the Rocky Head Community. Soon after, Rudy passed in 1981. Bea continued her career at Dale Medical Center (then Dale County Hospital) and served as; In-Service Director Dale County Hospital, Ozark, Alabama, 1980-1986, Coordinator Patient Education, 1987-1995, In-Service Director, Patient Education, 1992-1995. Bea also took on several projects close to her heart at that time including spear heading and working closely with the American Heart Association to spread the awareness and need for members of the general public to be CPR certified. Bea also pushed hard for the use of baby car-seats in Alabama and coordinated a program where parents of newborns could rent a car seat from the hospital if they didn’t already own one.

Bea retired in 1995 and remained very active in the Ozark and Ariton communities until 2015, making frequent trips to visit her son, Frank; daughter-in-law, Jennifer and granddaughter, Sydney in Florida. She remained active for several years and enjoyed the beach, going out to eat, and bad jokes. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Franklin and Jennifer Pasterczyk of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; one granddaughter, Sydney Pasterczyk of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; one sister, Dorothy Hu of Sydney, Australia; one brother, Henry Ching of Sydney, Australia. Several nieces and nephews also survive.

Serving as pallbearers are John White, Greg Hughes, Jim Jacobs, Tim Johnson, Brian Johnson, and Fletcher Dawson. 

Robert Byrd of Sunset Funeral Home, (334) 983-6604, is in charge of arrangements. Please call us or visit www.SunsetMemorialPark.com for more information.