Evelyn Beth Salim

Beth Murphy Salim, 92, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Dumas, Texas.

Visitation will be from 4:00-5:30 P.M., Friday, April 12, 2024 at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home, 500 N. Maddox Ave., Dumas. Celebration of Life Service is scheduled for 10:30 A.M., Saturday, April 13, 2024 at First Christian Church, 423 S. Maddox Ave., Dumas with Rev. Darrell Wait as Officiant. A private family interment will be held at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors of Dumas.

Beth was born on November 25, 1931 in Amarillo, Texas. She was the firstborn of three children to George Washington Murphy and Bertie Aileen Murphy. Beth was a resident of Moore County and Dumas her entire life, except for college and a year in South Texas. She attended elementary, junior high, and high school in Dumas and was a ranked graduate of Dumas High School, having completed a twelve-year curriculum in only eleven years. Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in education from TCU, graduating from college in only three years. She received her master’s degree in education from WTSU in Canyon, Texas. She spent a summer at Peabody University in Nashville, Tennessee on scholarship for an education degree program.

In the summer of 1951, Beth met Mike Salim in Dumas where he was playing semi-pro baseball. Beth’s father, George, was the one who initiated their introduction at a baseball game. Beth and Mike were both attending TCU but had never met on campus. They dated for a year and, after graduation from TCU, Beth and Mike were married in Dumas on August 30, 1952. The newlywed Salims headed to Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley where Beth taught school and Mike coached baseball for a year. In June of 1953, they moved back to Dumas to begin a family. They had three children—Mark (born in 1953), Michael (born in 1954), and Deborah (born in 1955). Beth and Mike celebrated 71 years of marriage in August of 2023.

Beth taught reading at Dumas Junior High and Dumas High Schools for twenty years. After retiring from full-time teaching, she was elected to the Dumas ISD School Board. She served on the Board for twelve years and was the first woman elected as the Board’s president. In 2015, Beth was honored with membership in the Dumas High School Hall of Fame for her years of service and dedication to the education of many Dumas students. She was a charter member of the Dumas Education Foundation (DEF) and personally raised thousands of dollars for DEF scholarships by writing and selling her family cookbook, appropriately titled

Beth’s Recipes

. Beth touched so many students’ lives and was still enjoying visits from former students in recent years. In 2008, the Dumas Noon Lions Club honored Beth and Mike as Old Timers of the Year at the annual Dogie Days celebration.

During her active years of raising a family and teaching, Beth endured many health challenges. She was a six-time cancer survivor. Through all her health trials, she was strengthened by her Christian faith and maintained her joy for life. Beth took an active interest in helping others going through what she had experienced, including counseling patients and families. Beth was a long-time member of the First Christian Church of Dumas, where her family were founding members.

Beth enjoyed cooking, sewing, reading, playing bridge and needlework (especially cross stitch and needlepoint). She won many blue ribbons at the Moore County Fair and Amarillo Tri-State Fair for her beautiful cross stitch pieces. Her favorite activity was spending time with her nine grandsons, especially during summer trips across several states. She was fond of telling everyone that she and Mike had twins and triplets in their grandson army – each one is proudly identified by their birth order number from one to nine.

Beth was preceded in death by her father and mother; her brother, Ramon Murphy; her sister, Suzanne Brandon; and her son, Mark Salim.

She is survived by her husband, Mike Salim of Dumas; her son, Michael Salim (wife, Laurie) of Dallas, TX; her daughter, Deborah Hepworth (husband, Mark) of Athens, OH; grandsons, Matthew Salim (Sheryl); Daniel Salim (Sandi); Stephen Salim (Rachel); Kyle Hepworth (Megan); Andrew Hepworth (Melinda); Adam Hepworth (Kristin); Jacob Salim (Madie); Joshua Salim (Madi); and Jordan Salim (Audrey); thirteen great-grandchildren (with two more arriving later this year); and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Dumas Education Foundation, P. O. Box 615, Dumas, TX 79029.