The first thing to know about Beverley is that she was a resilient Survivor!

She battled many illnesses (i.e. Cancer, Osteoarthritis, Tuberculosis, TIA, Lumbar Stenosis, Covid-19, etc.) in her lifetime and she rarely seemed to complain about it or give up the fight.

She was a special person that could handle problems and keep enduring.  She was considered by others to be friendly, funny, honest, hard working, compassionate, genuine, intelligent, creative, considerate and generous.

Beverley Carol "Bev" Wood was born on July 28 in 1941 into humble beginnings and with a visual impairment that challenged her straight away in life, often leading to shyness as a child.

Bev grew up in the small town of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba to Kathleen (Ukrainian descent) and Roy (Scottish Descent).

She was the youngest of five (Norman, Marjorie, Doreen and Frances) who were quite older and mostly out-of-the-house by then.  She was closest with her affable sister Frances and her four sons (Don, Gerry, Kevin and Rick) and later with her older sister, Doreen.

With formal schooling often a challenge (due to limited vision and being left-handed), Beverley learned about life and everything else from her ultimate hero and best friend, her Mother.

As a young girl Beverley loved to dance exhaustedly to the radio and was also captivated with watching her Mother cook every meal from scratch, often accompanied by beautiful singing.

She also enjoyed laughing at her favorite comic actors like Red Skelton and Sid Caesar.

As a young woman Bev worked at a local grocery store, which she had several fond memories of.

Over the years she had moved from Manitoba to Edmonton, Alberta where she became a wife twice (Clarence Wellborn then Bill Donaghue) and eventually a Mother of four (Donna, Karen, Greg and Brad), a Grandmother of 5 (Samantha, Tammy, Donny, D.J. and Adara) and a great-Grandmother of one (Cali).

Life was not exactly easy for her often-struggling family; however, Bev persevered and always did her best to work hard, care, accommodate, listen and to love.

Over the years Bev became an amazing cook herself and could easily handle most recipes from practically any culture.  With limited funds, she would often have to make large Family meals out of next to nothing.

As a generally jolly Homemaker, she found herself immersed with cooking & baking and was often found at home in her preferred housecoat & slippers while sifting through her Company's Coming cookbook collection.

She was the original "foodie" who loved most menus, especially BBQ ribs, asian potstickers and tiramisu for dessert.

Bev was very down-to-earth and always told it like it was, often with an unexpected humorous twist.

A natural comic, Bev was extremely witty and fast with her punchlines (no matter how odd and unique they sometimes were).

A few of her favourite pastimes were escaping through the magic of Television (i.e. Law & Order, various game shows, Hallmark, AGT, Food Network, assorted movies like Patch Adams, Nothing to Lose, Under the Tuscan Sun, The American President, etc.), Gaming (i.e. playing cards, rolling dice, Slots, Bingo, Horse Racing, etc.) and Music (i.e. relaxing to Neil Young's softer catalogue, singing traditional Christmas Carols and listening to the Blues).

In her later years, as a two-time Widow, Bev finally found true freedom and a fresh start in the beautiful garden city of Victoria, B.C. where she lived joyfully for almost a decade.

Her final years were spent in Calgary, Alberta where she lived near her eldest son Greg, eventually passing away peacefully at Royal Park long-term care facility.

Bev's warmness and her offbeat sense of humour will always be remembered, as well as her tasty meals and amazingly creative dishes that she prepared in her lifetime.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Beverley Donaghue, please visit our Tree Store.