Beverley Anne Wright

Beverley was the eldest of two daughters, and shared a very happy upbringing with her younger sister Geraldine. Between the two sisters there were many entertaining, hilarious stories about their childhood which they shared at family gatherings, often to roaring laughter. Bev and Gerry were a dynamic duo, and there is no doubt that Auntie Gerry will miss her sister Beverley. Beverley was a born leader with creative flare. Her passion began in childhood: 'Sleeping Beauty' was one of her first productions. Beverley corralled the neighbourhood kids, including her little sister Geraldine, to play roles in the show. The performance was replete with working curtains and a stage, and tickets were sold to the families in the neighbourhood to attend. It was so good, it made it into the local newspaper!

As a young woman, Beverley earned her ACRT, taught piano for a while but then switched to her true love: Teaching people to sing! She earned her Teaching Degree at UBC with a specialty in music. For many years until her retirement, she taught at Sangster Elementary. She was a Classroom Teacher, a Learning Assistance Teacher, and the Music and Choir Teacher. She produced and directed musicals in schools as well as in community. Shows included "Pirates of Penzance', 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat', 'Dirty Work at the Crossroads'.

In her retirement she founded and directed the children's choirs 'Chorus Con Moto', 'The Rainbow Chorus', and the adult choir 'Spirit Rising Choir'. For over two decades, she was the much loved musical director at Unity Church. Beverley had an interest in genealogy, and at one point travelled to the UK to research family history. With the material she uncovered there, she made a video called 'The Wright Stuff'! She also enjoyed scrapbooking, and put together a variety of photo albums which dovetailed nicely with genealogy. This included making albums for each of her six grandkids, to explain to them their family heritage. Her last project was a CD, called "Songs Loved and Shared by Fred Wright". Mom wanted to memorialize Grandpa's singalong songs in honour of him - she knew he would appreciate the passing on of these songs to future generations. For this CD, Beverley had many family members perform the songs around the piano while she accompanied.

Mom never stopped exploring personal growth, communication, and spirituality. She enjoyed understanding learning styles, personality types, enneagrams, etc. Her ideas, energy and enthusiasm were contagious. She liked to say, with humour, that she was 'witty and charming' - and of course all who were present had to agree! She possessed a unique mixture of 'proper ladylike discernment' and 'music director on a mission!'. She was too unique to be mainstream, and lived a life with progressive values. Full of accomplishments and surprises, she kept us on our toes.

Beverley is survived by her children Allan, Beth (Dave), and Joy, grandchildren Angela, Candace, Taryn, Bayden, Sebastian, and Ashlyn, sister Geraldine (Lorne), nieces Julie and Shelley (Charles), grand and great-grand nieces and nephews, and her good friend Ian.

Mom, saying goodbye to you on October 16th was immensely hard, but there is comfort in knowing you lived your 81 years so well. Mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt, teacher, choir director, and friend, we love you, and we will miss you so very much. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of one's choice. A celebration of Beverley's life will be held at a later date.