Beverly Ann Macbeth

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.allnuttftcollins.com for the Macbeth family.Beverly Ann Macbeth, aka MamaBev, was born in Villa Grove, Illinois on January 25, 1927.

After living for 96 years, she decided that was long enough. She passed away peacefully in Fort

Collins, Colorado at 8:55 a.m. on August 14, 2023, after hearing from each of her 5 children the

evening before.

After graduating from high school as Valedictorian, she attended Millikin University in Decatur,

Illinois. She left school during her sophomore year to accept a job offer as a bookkeeper in

Chicago, Illinois.

A few years later, Bev attended a party with a young man she had been briefly dating. At the

party, another young man noticed her and became instantly smitten. Right in front of her date,

he introduced himself and mentioned that he was a law student. This student, William (Bill)

Forbes Nissen, managed to get Bev’s phone number from someone at the party. He called her

the next day and she agreed to go out with him. Falling in love quickly, they married. Bev

continued working to support Bill while he finished law school. After Bill started practicing law,

they had a daughter, followed by a son 2 years later. They then moved to Quincy, Illinois, where

the other 3 children were born.

In addition to being a mother, homemaker and wife, Bev took on the chores that were at the

time considered “men’s work” - such as taking out the garbage, planting trees, mowing the lawn,

etc. She also figured out how to replace a broken light switch by turning off the circuit-breaker

and taking the switch apart. Discovering that she liked this sort of chore, she hired someone to

build a workbench in the basement. It was there in the basement that she started making lamps

from whatever she had at her disposal, such as Bill’s old law books and cigar boxes. She also

made wall clocks of a similar nature.

Her creative talents extended to writing poetry, songs, and jokes, comprising multiple dozens

throughout her long life. At one time, she was an avid gardener. She was a longtime crossword

puzzle enthusiast, and in her final years, switched to reading mystery novels.

She was deeply religious, and openly discussed her faith during earlier periods of her life but in

her later years she mostly kept it within.

She leaves behind 5 children, 6 grandchildren, 1 granddog, 3 grandcats, 5 great-grandchildren,

and 2 more great-grandchildren on the way. She loved all her family including her sons-in-law,

and daughters-in-laws, and the spouses of her grandchildren. She was fortunate to meet 3 of

her great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, and the father of her children