WILSON, Beverley L. (1926-2018)

WILSON

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 1/29/2019 at 22:54:18

Beverley Lou Wilson
(May 31, 1926 - December 10, 2018)

Beverley Lou Thurlow Wilson was born May 31, 1926 near Leslie, Clarke County, IA, third daughter of Ted and Opal (Smith) Thurlow and passed away Monday, December 10, 2018 at The Village in Indianola, IA, at the age of 92 years. Services will be held at 12:00 p.m. Noon, Thursday, December 27, 2018, at the First United Methodist Church in Indianola. Inurnment of cremains will be held in the Maple Hill Cemetery, Osceola, IA.
Bev graduated from Garden Gove High School in 1942 and attended Simpson College where she met her husband, Maurice Wilson. They were married in 1947, living in Indianola for a few years before moving, with their children, Kelly and Bruce, to Oskaloosa, IA where Douglas was born. Maurice began his YMCA career in Fairfield, IA and later became metropolitan executive for the Cedar Rapids/Marion YMCA. Bev returned to Indianola in 2000.
Bev’s living family includes sons, Bruce (Christine) Wilson and Douglas (Tammy) Wilson; three grandsons, Thaddeus (Amy) Wilson, Bartholomew (Nicole) Wilson and Connor Wilson; and five great-grandchildren, Hazen and Tucker Wilson, and Bodie, Chloe and Blakely Wilson.

Leading the way to the great beyond were her husband Maurice, daughter Kelly, parents Ted and Opal Thurlow, and sisters Margaret and Jane.
Among Bev’s interests were causes relating to the ecumenical life. She served the United Methodist Church, Iowa Conference as chairperson of the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns for several years. She received recognition for that work being recipient of the first Bishop’s CCUIC award. She was president of Churches United, Cedar Rapids/Marion and later became its administrative secretary. Her membership in Church Women United included serving as Cedar Rapids/Marion unit president, as well as being treasurer of the Iowa unit. She was a member of the Inter-Religious Council of Linn County and of the Cedar Rapids area Peace with Justice Network.
Bev’s interest in children and young people was reflected through her participation over the years in the Big Brother/Big Sister program, and in being host to several international students, including two from the Netherlands to whom she was “grandma” for a school term. She was also a reading friend at Whittier Elementary School in Indianola since the program’s inception.
After her first hot air balloon ride at age 76, she became a volunteer and enthusiastic supporter of the National Balloon Museum and was a member of PEO for over 50 years. This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/