Yoland Myra Beard Reese

Yoland Myra Beard Reese was born in Birmingham, Alabama on June 29, 1950, the youngest child of Rev. Luke Beard and Annie Maxie McNair Beard.

Much of her childhood was spent in Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where her father was the pastor. Yoland was an outgoing and happy child, especially in the company of her older siblings.

She was educated in Birmingham City Schools, and graduated from A.H. Parker High School in 1968.

Yoland married Dale Reese in 1969. Two years later, they welcomed her greatest blessing, daughter Eboni Myra Reese Mincey.

She attended Bishop State College in Dallas, TX and later transferred to the University of Kentucky, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public health. She then returned to Birmingham and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. This was more than a field of study or a career for Yoland.It was her vocation and she viewed it as an opportunity to improve the lives of others. She was a source of accurate information, good advice and true compassion, always prepared to tackle the most sensitive topics with ease.

Yoland was the Health Education Coordinator at the University of Alabama Student Health Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was also employed at Talladega College, Miles College, Western Health Center, and the UAB School of Public Health. She later served as the Health Coordinator for the Jefferson County Committee for Equal Opportunity, meeting the needs of the local community.

She gave of her time and talents, as a volunteer at the Sickle Cell Disease Association- Central Alabama Chapter.

Yoland was an extrovert, whose dazzling smile, lively personality and warm spirit drew people to her. She passed away on October 2, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Luke Beard and Annie Maxie Beard; her brothers, Luke L. Beard, Dr. M.L. Beard, Gerald B. Beard, Isom Beard and Oscar L. Beard; and her sisters Lillie Beard and Carolyn Beard Wilson.

Yoland leaves to cherish her memory and carry on her legacy, daughter Eboni Myra Reese Mincey (Jeff); grandchildren Devin Mincey and Naomi Mincey; sister and brother-in-law Msiba Ann Beard Grundy and Chester Grundy; and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and friends.