Urania passed away September 29, 2009 while residing in Lancaster, Calif. at the age of 97. She was
preceded in death by her husband Warren Haywood Beckcom, Sr. in 1997; her parents William and Suzanne Medeiros Tavares; and three siblings: Delpha Wolstenholme, Wilhelmina Mason, and Eugene Tavares. She is survived by her sister Dorothea Couto (West
Warwick, RI); her four children: Warren Beckcom, Jr. (New York), David Beckcom (Houston, Texas), James Beckcom (Lancaster, Calif.), and Alicia Katzenberger (Baton Rouge); five grandchildren: Georgia Day, Mary Keel, Jason Beckcom, Ashley Paxton
Keller, Lynsey Paxton and two great grandchildren.
Urania, known to family and friends as Ronnie, was born on December 9, 1911 on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores. She came to the U.S. with her family at age one. She lived her
childhood and early adult life in West Warwick, RI. Her father was a carpenter and skilled stone mason. In Rhode Island, Ronnie worked in a dress shop as a clothing buyer and window decorator. She met her husband Warren at a navy dance in Rhode
Island where he was stationed following the war. They were married in 1945 and eventually moved to his native Hornbeck. Warren was the Hornbeck rural mail carrier from 1951 to the mid-1970s. Ronnie and Warren lived and raised their family on the
Beckcom farm. They retired to Baton Rouge in 1988 to be closer to their daughter Alicia. In 2005, Ronnie moved to California to live with her son James.
Ronnie was a devout Catholic with a passion for the arts, the opera and ballet.
She exemplified her creativity in interior decorating, gardening and flower arrangement. She loved spending time with family, cooking, fishing and card playing. Ronnie loved telling jokes and sharing her life stories with everyone. She will be
remembered for her radiant personality and sense of humor. Her family’s remembrance of her character and loving concern for all will be an even greater legacy.
She will be deeply missed. Family and friends will celebrate her life in a
private memorial mass at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Baton Rouge on Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. Burial to follow at the Beckcom Cemetery in Hornbeck at a later date. Condolences may be sent to her daughter Alicia Katzenberger at 3222
Claycut Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806.