Waneta Sue Beals, age 83, passed away November 25, 2023, in the hospital while under "comfort care".

Sue was born on July 10, 1940, in Joplin, MO, the daughter of Ben & Peggy Witmer. Her father Ben Witmer came from a large family of four boys and four girls. The Witmer family grew up in the Great Depression era and learned to live very conservatively. This conservative way of living was passed on to Sue and all her cousins as the family grew. Even during good times, the members of the extended family were known to watch their spending. Sue was no different and was always looking for lower costs and also arguing with government agencies or hospitals if she felt the charges were unreasonable.

She married early in her life to Jerry Walters, and they quickly had two daughters and a son, Denise, Steven, and Peggy. They later divorced. Sue ended up in California where she then met Charles Jennings. They married and together they had a son. Charles was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident.

Sue met a doctor, Norman K. Beals, MD, when she was in the hospital delivering Charles' baby. Norman was infatuated with Sue and told her that if she ever wanted to "meet up" with him that he would be available. Within a year and a half, after Charles was killed in the motorcycle accident, she contacted Norman Beals and about eight months later they married on February 2, 1964.

During her life she had menial jobs as well as having titles of "Doctor's Assistant", "Accountant" and "The Cat Lady". She was with Norman as the Doctor's Assistant for six years. Following their divorce, a friend of hers told her about a job opportunity in the accounting department at the company who published Road and Track Magazine. Sue was told to not worry about knowing nothing about accounting. All she'd need to do was learn the procedures and follow instructions. She held that job for years before finally moving out of Orange County, California and into a condominium in Chatsworth, California where she soon became known as The Cat Lady in 1984.

Sue was always a cat person. In Chatworth she ended up living with four cats at one time. The neighborhood was close to the hills where there were many coyotes. It was unsafe for all neighborhood pets to be outside unaccompanied and Sue would walk with her cats on the sidewalks around her block. Everyone else walked their dogs, Sue was the only one who walked her cats.

The Northridge Earthquake in 1994 caused severe damage to the condominium Sue was living in. Not long after the quake, Sue packed up and moved to Oklahoma where she bought a double-wide mobile home and lived on her sister's farm for many years. From there she sold the double-wide and with Denise's help, she moved to Kansas and bought her first house in the small town of Onaga.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Rebecca Wtimer, TX. A son, Steven W. Walters; husbands, Jerry Walters, KS, Charles Jennings, CA and Norman K. Beals, CA and a grandson, Nathan W. Herzog, TX.

Sue is survived by one sister, Madonna Waller, OK; two daughters, Denise (Ken, deceased) Melvin, KS and Peggy (Gary) Herzog, TX. Grandchildren, Steven (Cammie) Melvin, Randolph, KS, Jeremy (Emily) Melvin, Soldier, KS, Brendan Melvin, Ottawa, KS and Lindsey (Nolan) Herzog O'Conner, TX. Great-grandchildren, Hannah & Henry Melvin, Randolph, KS, Lola Kate, Neely, and Norah O'Conner, TX. And numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was known to them all, loved by many and will be dearly missed.

Private family services will be at a later date.