On June 18, the day after her 105th birthday, Beverly Joyce Ely received the greatest prize of all—seeing her Savior face to face. Her family and church family will greatly miss her but are rejoicing that she is finally home.
Beverly Joyce Irving was born on June 17, 1918, in Endicott, New York. She married Kenneth Bookstaver Ely on August 28, 1940. The Lord blessed them with 60 years of marriage, three children (Sharon, Roger and William), eight grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson. Beverly was preceded in death by her husband and two sons.
In 1988 Beverly and Kenneth moved from New York to Starr, South Carolina, and shortly afterwards became members of Grace Baptist Church. Both of them attended and served faithfully at Grace until they were no longer physically able to do so. Their testimonies and service have made a lasting impact on many lives, and their absence from the church is greatly missed.
Anyone who knew Beverly would describe her primarily as tiny and sweet, or, as she was sometimes affectionately called, “Sweet and low.” People would also describe her as a lady in the truest sense of the word, who always conducted herself with graciousness and propriety. Her family and close friends would also describe her as spunky and stubborn, which may have contributed to her long lifespan (along with her fond consumption of coffee and onions). But all who knew her knew how much she loved her Lord, family and church family. Beverly demonstrated her love in many different ways, from giving money to those in need to preparing delicious meals to sympathetically listening to others’ problems to steadfastly praying for others. She loved spending time with her family and close friends, whether it was chatting on the back porch swing or playing a game of Skip-bo, Rummikub or Zilch. Beverly also loved plying her loved ones with all kind of culinary delights from her kitchen, and her church family enjoyed many of them at church fellowships.
Remarkably, Beverly lived by herself from the time of her husband’s death in 2000 until she was 99 years old. She lived out the remainder of her years at NHC HealthCare in Anderson, SC. The family is very grateful for the kind, patient staff members who provided such thorough and compassionate care for her during those years.
Although we her family and friends will deeply miss Beverly’s gentle, cheerful presence, we are extremely thankful for all the wonderful memories we have of her and for the years God allowed her to enjoy on this earth. To honor Beverly’s life and give glory to the Lord, a memorial service will take place on Saturday, August 19, at 2:00p.m. at Grace Baptist Church (6707 Highway 81 South, Starr, SC 29684). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be given to the missions fund at Grace Baptist Church.
We who, like Beverly, have put our faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation from our sins “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope,” because we believe that because Jesus died and rose again, we too shall be resurrected someday. We can confidently echo the words of Paul in I Corinthians 15:55-57, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Today we praise God for her; one day we will praise God with her.
The Sosebee Mortuary and Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.
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