Beverly Jean Witt

Beverly Jean Bonham Witt lived a long, happy life filled with love of God and family. Generous, humble, kind, patient, faithful, creative, loving, funny, forgiving, longsuffering, smart and patriotic, are a few of the words her family uses to describe her. Beverly passed peacefully in the early morning of Monday, July 18, 2022, in Orange, California, due to the effects of Parkinson’s Disease and several health complications from a recent fall that required hospitalization and surgery. During her time here on earth, Beverly touched many lives, and her legacy lives on through her three children and five grandchildren. Beverly’s memory will be cherished by those who knew her.

Beverly was a true California girl. Born in Torrance, California on November 22, 1940, she was raised by her parents, Mabel Sorenson Bonham and Arthur Gould Bonham, who were also Californians through and through. Except for four years spent attending university, Beverly was a resident of Los Angeles County her entire life. Beverly spent her childhood enjoying the California sunshine with her older brother George and younger sister Lois, going on spontaneous road trips and camping with her family, sleeping out in her family’s patio, and joyfully riding her bike all over town—even riding her bike on the 10 Freeway as it was being constructed and before cars took it over! Beverly loved the California beaches and swimming. She fostered this love in her children, religiously taking them to summer swim lessons, and even recruiting them to grab some shovels and begin digging out the family pool that was later added to their backyard. During the summers of her adult life, Beverly loved to camp in her travel trailer with her family of five for up to six weeks at a time. She had a special love for the foggy shores of Pismo beach and would bundle up daily to sit for hours on the beach, watching her children body board, surf, snorkel, and swim in the chilled waters of the Central Coast.

When Beverly was 22, she met the love of her life, Doug, on a blind date, set up by mutual friends. On that first date, they shared a shrimp cocktail in Malibu and then went to the movies on Sunset Blvd. They dated for five years, despite Doug accidently losing and then, leaving Beverly stranded at the Los Angeles County fair one evening and assuming she had headed home on her own... (Before cell phones, there was no way to call and find her!) She somehow forgave him, married him, and loved him madly for the rest of her life. They were married nearly 54 years.

A proud graduate of Brigham Young University, Beverly attended the college in Provo, Utah, studying psychology when women still wore only skirts and dresses—no pants! She often told her children that somehow, even when trudging to class through the snow, her legs never felt cold. After college, Beverly dreamed of joining the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and did well on the entrance exam but was under the weight minimum. She pivoted and joined the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Service, where she worked as a Social Worker, assisting families throughout Los Angeles for a decade. Beverly had many friends at her office and loved being a career woman but left that all behind with the birth of her first child. Beverly wanted to be present for her children and tend to their every need.

Over the rest of her life, that’s exactly what Beverly did. She endlessly cared for and supported her children and grandchildren. Beverly reveled in seeing her loved ones succeed. She was a hands-on parent, supporting her children, and then, grandchildren in their academic and athletic pursuits. She encouraged each of them to follow their dreams. Beverly was their biggest cheerleader.

A long-time hobby of Beverly’s was sewing. Before store-bought costumes were a thing, Beverly used her creativity and genius to craft unique Halloween costumes, without patterns for her three children. Whatever crazy costumes her children could dream up, Beverly obliged. Her children proudly wore those costumes, and even more proudly proclaimed their mom had made their costumes! Beverly used this same talent to sew a whole suitcase full of tiny Barbie doll clothes for her daughters, as well as matching dresses and swimsuits. Beverly’s talents could’ve been used behind the scenes in Hollywood or on Broadway, but instead, she used them solely to bring her children joy.

After Beverly’s children were grown and her beloved husband retired from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, she traveled the country with Doug in their RV. As patriots, they loved the USA and saw much of it during their adventures. Some of their favorite destinations were Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, and Toronto, Canada. When Doug developed Alzheimer’s Disease, their travels came to an end and Beverly wholeheartedly dedicated herself to caring for Doug and prolonging the memories they shared.

Since she was 16 years old, Beverly was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Together with her family, she had previously attended many church services of different faiths but felt at home once two missionaries knocked on her parents’ door and shared a message of Jesus Christ with them. Through her membership in the church, Beverly served others in various capacities, including teaching young children and ministering to other women in need, often writing letters to individuals who didn’t know her, but whom she knew needed a friend. In her later years, Beverly was recognized as one of the worldwide church’s most prolific indexers, meaning she spent hours on her laptop typing names from historic records into a database that people all over the world use to find their ancestors. Beverly didn’t only index her own ancestors, but used census records, birth certificates, military registrations and other documents to help others discover their rich family histories and know the glorious life stories that preceded them.

We miss Beverly, especially her big laugh and fun, easy nature, but we’re grateful to have had her in our lives and for her example of constant, enduring love and service. We know we will see her again.

From Beverly to her family and friends: “We shall meet again!”

Beverly’s memorial service will be an intimate graveside gathering of family members and friends at Rose Hills in Whittier on Monday, July 25, 2022, at 11:00 am.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorial.com for the Witt family.