Shirley Mae Beard, founder of iconic soul food restaurant, to lie in repose at Kentucky Derby Museum

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Funeral arrangements for an iconic Louisville soul food restaurateur have been announced.

Shirley Mae Beard, owner and face of Shirley Mae's Cafe on South Clay Street, died Saturday morning at the age of 84, according to her family.

Finalized arrangements were announced in a post on the restaurant's Facebook page Tuesday.

Beard will lie in repose for viewing at the Kentucky Derby Museum, 704 Central Avenue, on Friday, Jan. 24 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Her funeral will be Saturday, Jan. 25 at Community Baptist Church, 4909 East Indian Trail, in Louisville. The post said the funeral is tentatively planned for noon, but a definite time will be announced.

Over her nearly 40 years in business, Beard met politicians and celebrities alike. During the Kentucky Derby in 2024, Bruno Mars stopped by her Smoketown restaurant. She also held an annual community Thanksgiving for years.

But she didn't just feed the city of Louisville and its high-profile visitors.

According to her cafe's website, Beard and her daughter, Theresa, played an instrumental role in bringing the recognition of Black jockeys to the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Beard and her children learned about the Black jockeys who pioneered the Kentucky Derby through a set of encyclopedias she had purchased in the 60s, according to her website. But she was surprised when no one in her Smoketown neighborhood had heard about them, and set off on a mission to educate Black residents about their roots in the Derby, and create their own Derby event.

In May of 1989, she founded the Salute to the Black Jockeys Who Pioneered the Kentucky Derby event, which was later shortened to Salute to Black Jockeys Inc. The event was inspired by a visit to the Kentucky Derby Museum, which had found photos and memorabilia of Black jockeys stored in the museum's basement, her website states.

The Kentucky Derby Museum, which is next to the Churchill Downs entrance, now has a Black Heritage in Racing exhibit and educational programming.

The exhibit pays tribute to the Black jockeys and horsemen that dominated thoroughbred racing from the first Kentucky Derby in 1875 through 1903. In fact, 15 of the first 28 Derby winners were ridden by Black jockeys.

Derby Museum president and CEO Patrick Armstrong released a statement on Wednesday.

"The Kentucky Derby Museum is saddened by the loss of a Louisville legend and champion of Black history, Shirley Mae Beard. From the museum’s inception in 1985, to the first formal exhibit about Black jockeys in 1992, to the major exhibit expansion in 2021, and now a first-of-its-kind traveling exhibit – sharing the history of Black jockeys, horsemen and women has always been an integral part of the museum’s mission.

We’re proud to have a shared commitment with Shirley Mae and her family of uplifting the Black contributions and legacies that are fundamental to the Kentucky Derby® and the horse racing industry. We are honored to invite the community to the museum on Friday, January 24, as part of Shirley Mae’s celebration of life."

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