Obituary for Beverly Joan Hames
Beverly Joan Hames was born May 19, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Frederick and Eleanor (Riemer) Mensing. Although her father left the family when Beverly was just a baby, she had a happy childhood living with her mother, her grandparents, and her sister Doris. Beverly and Doris were inseparable and the best of friends always. Beverly was a bit of a tomboy growing up in Wisconsin. She graduated from Port Washington High School where she was active in forensics.
Beverly met a dashing young WWII pilot, Joseph Hugo Hames, who was a Major in the Air Force. The couple fell madly in love, married, and raised two boys in Waubeka, Wisconsin. They also opened their home to foster children and one boy, Al Becker, claimed a permanent place in their hearts and remained in touch with Beverly for the rest of her life. Beverly was active in the lives of the kids and in their activities, especially 4H.
Passionate about and active in politics, Beverly became heavily involved with campaign promotion, serving as the county chairwoman for the Republican party in Wisconsin. This involvement gave her opportunity to meet many famous politicians and allowed Beverly and her son the honor of meeting Ronald and Nancy Reagan. When the boys were older, Beverly became a real estate agent, and when the family moved to Maryland, she and a partner purchased a real estate business. She was very active in the real estate industry and even became president of the Caroll County Association of Realtors.
In 1995, Beverly was widowed, and Joseph was laid to rest with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. She decided to relocate to Oregon to be near her son, thoroughly enjoying time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and extended family. Active as ever, Beverly became very involved in golfing in the community where she lived, even serving as president of the Salemtowne Women's Golf Association (SWGA). She also enjoyed travelling and was able to take several trips to amazing places including Europe, Israel, and Japan to see her grandson that was serving his country in the military.
Beverly was very driven and had a “Type A” personality when it came to her work, whether volunteer or career. But she was also fun to be around, had a good sense of humor, and could play “dumb blonde” like no one else, which leaves her family with many funny stories and wonderful memories.
Beverly was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband Joseph, and her sister Doris. She is survived by her children Paul (Jeannette) Hames of Salem, Daniel (Mary) Hames of Minnesota, and foster son Al Becker; grandchildren Kyle, Kelly, Jacob, Heather, Raymond, Timothy, David, Diane, and Wyeth; and numerous great-grandchildren. This spring, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, Beverly will be laid to rest with Joseph at Arlington National Cemetery.
At her request, no formal services will be held.
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