Beverly Burnice Francis

Beverly Burnice Wootton entered the busy bustling home of Edgar Allen Wootton and Claudia Burnice McDonald Wootton on August 12, 1930. She was the seventh of nine children and joined in the farm life outside of Goodyear, Arizona.

She graduated from Buckeye Union High School in 1948 where she played tennis and developed a love of acting and singing. After graduation she earned money for nursing school by picking cotton on nearby farms. She entered nurses training in Phoenix, Arizona and earned her RN certificate. While in nurses training, she secretly eloped marrying her high school sweetheart, Donald Lee Francis. Since this was against the nurses training rules, they were married again at the end of nurses training. She was in a hospital bed at that time recovering from a near fatal traffic accident. This accident crushed her right arm partially crippling it. They began their marriage with $15.00 and living in a tent on her parents farm.

Her determination pushed her to relearn many skills including writing left handed, playing the piano with left hand cords and touching the main keys with right hand. She succeeded in her chosen careers of nursing, then a realtor as well as an insurance and commodities broker.

She was an avid teacher and taught the youth in her beloved church for many years. After retiring she and Don volunteered at a Women’s correctional prison for 10 years as church missionaries and teaching religious classes. Bev was actively involved in politics for the Republican Party as a committeeman and precinct chairman. She was actively involved in Toastmasters, encouraging family and friends to join. After retirement, she started taking art classes and developed a love of painting. Art was one of her greatest joys.

There were two constants in Beverly’s life. They were a love of her family and a love for of our Savior Jesus Christ. Up to her last days, every conversation with her included her love for her ‘perfect’ children and amazing grandchildren! She often spoke of her gratitude to the missionaries, who brought the gospel to our home and she also spoke of the blessing it has been for our family to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

She is survived by her brother Ted Wootton of Clairmont, CA. Her five children, Ron (Mary) Francis, Mindy (Colin) Gordon of Bountiful, UT, Marcy (Mark) Perryman of Cincinnati, OH, Jeanie (Mark) Hyer of Nine Mile Falls, WA and Shelly (Keith) Clark of Spokane Valley, WA. 22 grandchildren, 44 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, two sons who died near birth, her parents and eight siblings that she had longed to see again. She was welcomed back to them on September 30, 2020.