Beverly Lunsford obit

Beverly Jane Lunsford of Canton, Georgia | 1945 - 2019 | Obituary

 

She was not on the list.

Ms. Beverly Lunsford, age 74 of Canton, formerly of Conyers, passed away Wednesday May 22, 2019 at Northside Hospital Cherokee.

Ms. Lunsford is survived by her dearest friend: Sharon Summers of Jasper; Step-Sons and Daughters in heart: Robert & Amber Nix of Cumming; Robin & Jose Casas of Jasper; Renee & Clay Barrineau of Canton; Grandchildren in heart: Colton Williams, Jose Casas Jr, Hampton Barrineau, Eason Barrineau, Ryleigh Nix and Robert Nix Jr.

Visitation will begin 1:00 PM Sunday May 26, until the funeral hour.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 PM Sunday May 26, 2019 in the Cagle Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Ben Mock officiating.

Interment will be at Sunrise Memorial Gardens.

Cagle Funeral Home is honored to serve the Lunsford family.

The actress best known for playing Shirley Fletcher on the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver.

Lunsford's early career encompassed several stage performances as well as television and movies. She first appeared at the age of 12 in the 1957 Broadway production of The Rope Dancers, starring Siobhán McKenna and Art Carney. Lunsford's big-screen work started soon after. She appeared in several anthology dramas, then progressed to guest-starring roles on television series such as National Velvet, My Three Sons, and Leave It to Beaver. She temporarily played the part of Amy Ames Britton Kincaid on the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm, during which she filled in for the main star, Jada Rowland. She had previously played a role on The Edge of Night.

Lunsford's starring role came in 1961 when she played in Roger Corman's topical drama The Intruder. The film dealt with race relations in the American South in the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954.

In 1963, Lunsford was cast in Herbert L. Strock's horror film The Crawling Hand. Lunsford made her last screen appearance in 1969, although she still attended various public celebrity-oriented events until her death in 2019.

Filmography

Year     Title            Role

1957    That Night!   Betsy Bowden

1962    The Intruder            Ella McDaniel

1963    The Crawling Hand            Patsy Townsen

1968    Jennie: Wife/Child            Jennie Pekingpraw

 

Television

Year     Title            Role

1956    Robert Montgomery Presents            Mark Pendel

1955–1958            United States Steel Hour            Sylvia/Allison

1960–1961            National Velvet Marilyn Winters in "The Riding Mistress (with Roger Mobley)

1962    Leave It to Beaver            Shirley Fletcher

1969    My Three Sons            Betty Crawford