Beverly Jo Donley

Born on August 4, 1935, Beverly built a life shaped by curiosity, travel, service, and devotion to the people and places she loved. She returned to school later in life and graduated from Moorpark College in the 1990s — a milestone she carried with quiet pride. For many years, she worked as an insurance underwriter at State Farm, where her steady, careful nature served her well.

Beyond her work, Beverly was a devoted traveler. A trip to China stayed with her for the rest of her life, and she returned home with stories she loved to tell for years afterward. She was also deeply patriotic — her home was filled with stars and stripes, and she rarely went anywhere without a flag pin or a patriotic accent of some kind. It was as much a part of her as her warmth.

Beverly also gave generously of her time to her community. She was an active volunteer at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and Los Robles Hospital, where her warmth and dependability left a lasting impression on staff, patients, and patrons alike.

But it was as a grandmother that Beverly shined brightest. Her grandchildren, Eric and Briana, spent most of their childhood summers with her, and those summers became some of the happiest memories of their lives — feeding the ducks at the lake near her house, walking together to the donut shop, and being loved exactly as they were. She had a gift for making ordinary days feel like something worth remembering, and she carried that same warmth forward to her great-grandchildren, Miles and Felicity.

She was preceded in death by her parents, George Kenneth Davis (1907–1975) and Bernice Elizabeth Davis (née Russell) (1911–1999); her brother, Douglas Kenneth Davis; her son, David Allan Donley (1954–2020), whom she loved without condition even through their estrangement; and her beloved grandson, Eric Donley (1981–2025).

She is survived by her son, Donald Donley; her granddaughter, Briana Watson; and her two great-grandchildren, Miles and Felicity Watson, who knew her as a great-grandmother full of love.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to Angel Delantar and the entire staff at Golden Age Senior Homes for the compassion and tenderness they showed Beverly in her final days.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Beverly's honor to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, a place that meant a great deal to her.