Beverly Gandy

Beverly Gandy, a cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, whose warmth, kindness, and unwavering love left a lasting mark on all who knew her, joined our Father in Heaven peacefully on August 17, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Vernonia, OR, on June 8, 1931, to Martin Herrin and Addie Brewer Herrin. Beverly and her much loved little brother, the late Dr. Gerald Herrin of Pierre, SD, helped out at the family store and sawmill. On graduating high school in Vernonia, she first came to Texas to attend Texas Christian University and later transferred to Northwestern Bible College where she met and married Pastor Stanely Franklin. The couple had two daughters, Rebecca Franklin Buchmeyer and Lisa Franklin Chamberlain.

Beverly had a unique combination of smarts, intuition, empathy and personality which ultimately landed her a job in television as co-anchor on the In Town Today show on WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin. Later her husband was called to a church in Kenova, WV, where she found herself once again in front of the cameras at WSAZ, this time in Huntington, WV.

Because of her reliable reporting and community concern, Governor Arch Moore of West Virginia asked Beverly to produce and host an in-depth drug report to be aired simultaneously on all West Virginia television stations. This report was well received and provided a national platform for Beverly.

In 1972, she and her daughters relocated to Texas where she later married the late Judge Dean Gandy. Beverly’s first position on returning to Texas was with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce at a job well-suited to her talent and experience. She helped create and implement programs for executive involvement in the city, including The Leadership Dallas Program as well as others. She ultimately became the first woman Vice President of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

From there, Beverly was brought on by the City of Dallas as the first Director of Public Affairs. Her department was responsible for press relations, classical station WRR, and international affairs which included overseeing visits from dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth, Margaret Thatcher, King of Sweden, and Mubarak from Egypt, among others. She served as the liaison between city officials and the city council, helping to elevate Dallas to international status. During her tenure, she was instrumental in planning for the Republican convention to be held at the Dallas Convention Center.

Upon retiring, she bought a home in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, where she would spend summers. There, Beverly dedicated her time to helping the community by volunteering at Feed the Hungry San Miguel through St Paul’s Church as well as other charities. Beverly built a grade school learning center in an isolated village far from San Miguel. She provided internet, computers, a library, a roof water catchment system and added a roof to the patio to shelter children from bad weather. These interventions empowered the village's women, ultimately leading them to advocate for government-provided buses to San Miguel for jobs. As a result, St. Paul’s Church extended its support to five other poor villages. Additionally, Beverly raised funds to plant hundreds of trees that beautify the city.

Throughout her life, Beverly Gandy was a part of many organizations including Executive Women of Dallas; Board of Directors of the Friends of the Library; Charter Member of Charter 100; Member of the Dallas Women's Foundation; Advisory Board for the Dallas Woman’s Resource Center; and was on the Advisory Board of the Museum of Natural History. In San Miguel, she was an active member of the Garden Club, Feed the Hungry San Miguel, and St. Paul’s of San Miguel de Allende.

She will long be remembered as a special friend, leader & colleague as well as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She touched many lives with her love, kindness, compassion and generosity.

Beverly is survived by her children, Rebecca Buchmeyer and her husband, Hank, of Gladewater, TX; Lisa Chamberlain and her husband Richard, of Dallas. She also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren Leila Harper and husband Chris of McKinney, TX; Hunter Buchmeyer and wife Amanda of Austin, Tori Pattison and husband Clay of Plano; and Stephen Chamberlain of Austin. She also leaves a legacy of great grandchildren, Lily, Grace, and Zoey Harper; Nicholas and Josephine Chavez; and Hudson Pattison.

In lieu of flowers Beverly would appreciate a donation to the North Texas Food Bank NTFB.org or Feed the Hungry, San Miguel https://www.feedthehungrysma.org/

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Thursday, August 22, 2024 at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas, TX.