Remembering Beverly
It’s never easy losing someone you love and care for. Recently, Beverly, a person served, passed away. By all accounts, Bev lived her life with hope, good humour, and a lot of cigarettes! One of the most heartwarming and soothing ways to cope with grief is to share memories and laughter. In that light, her caregivers and friends shared their fondest memories of her. Rest in peace, Bev. You’ll be missed.
Linda, Beverly’s roommate and friend
I will miss Bev, she was very funny, always telling people to put a smile on and calling them poopsy (haha) but she was always sick. I am happy that she is not sick any more and hope she is happy.
Vivian, Beverly’s roommate and friend:
Yes I miss her ☹.
Cindy, Beverly’s full-time day staff and friend
I have worked on and off as a casual with Beverly since I started with WJS in early 2015. There were some very interesting and fun times. Some of the more memorable ones include when staff had to follow her (without being seen) whenever she left the house. I had to follow the Handy-bus and try to follow her through the grocery stores and try not to let her see me. As a casual I had an advantage in that she often did not recognize me if her eyes met mine. Her favorite saying whenever she got caught was, “You are not going to tell the other Cindy, are you?” She was always so cute and innocent looking when she asked.
Since April I have been working full time with Beverly and assisting her was a pleasure. She would often sit at her computer desk and call my name. Because she could not hear very well, she often did not hear the reply “coming” so she would say my name again, louder, and each time getting louder and louder. Some days she would really keep you jumping around for different things. But every time I left her room she would call me by my name, I would turn around, and she would ask, “Where is your smile?” Which always resulted in a smile.
One roommate in the house did not like loud noises and she would get so irritated whenever Beverly was calling staff, or when she talked on the phone as she used the speaker phone due to loss of hearing. As much as this roommate was annoyed with Beverly, every time she was hospitalized this roommate often asked where she was and when was she coming home.
Beverly was a very social person. Every morning she would make her regular phone calls to the Dove Center and family members to check in to see how they were doing and catching up on family events. She always ended her phone calls with “where is your smile?” and she always told family “love you.”
The house is sure different with her absence.
Elizabeth, Beverly’s overnight and weekend support staff and friend
Beverly was always a joy to work with, she kept staff on their toes and always made sure we had a smile on our faces. No matter how she felt she was always smiling and laughing. I’ll miss having conversations with her and listening to the stories she would tell.
Marianne, Beverly’s full-time support staff and friend
Bev likes to joke around and call people names. I remember one time when somebody told her not to call me poopsy so she decided she would call me Mariani instead or Jalipino because I’m a Filipino. And she would always greet you by saying “smile.” She was a very funny and compassionate person. She will be very much missed around the home.
Cynthia, Bev’s support staff/team lead and friend
I have had the pleasure of working with Beverly for 4 years and each day I came in to say hi she would greet me with a huge smile and say “Hi poopsy” and hold my hand in hers. Poopsy was was a nickname she used for everyone she was acquainted with. There are quite a few memories I had with Bev, the only memory that sticks with me was each time she became ill, she would always say to me “I’m getting better.” There would be times when we thought we were going to lose her forever, and she would be up and outside the hospital with her greatest passion in life, her cigarettes (lol) as if she was never ill to begin with! She was a fighter and she was not ready to leave this world without a good one.
Unfortunately, her body got tired of fighting and as I sat with her the day before she passed, watching her body struggling to stay on this earth, she briefly woke, squeezed my hand and said, “I’m going to be ok” and closed her eyes. The next day Beverly passed on. I believe she said that to reassure us that she was okay with where she was now and where she will be going. It was heart breaking to see but when she said that it filled me with joy knowing she wasn’t suffering any longer.
Bev’s family, friends and staff prepared for Bev’s passing but we didn’t realize the impact it would have on us when the time came. Being together and talking about the good times we all had with Beverly help us cope with her not being here any longer. We are certain that Bev is enjoying her time with her parents as well as her never ending cigarette 😊.
We miss you Bev!
Stories collected and submitted by Cynthia Critch. On behalf of everyone at WJS, we extend our condolences to Bev’s family and friends.