Beverlee Gayle Dibble

The story of Beverlee is really a story of adventure, perhaps even more so than she realized. Born in 1944, her childhood years took place after World War II during the Flying Forties, a time of great optimism and happiness. It was perhaps this optimism, along with the gentle kindheartedness of her mother, that painted her personality, as she was always known for her sweetness, kindness and ever present smile. She may have developed a love of travel when her parents would take the family on road trips, including several times to Disneyland. She would experience her teenage years during the Fabulous Fifties and witness the birth of Rock ’n’ Roll. An avid Elvis fan, she got to see her idol perform live in 1957 at Multnomah Stadium in Portland. Her love of Elvis continued for the rest of her life and she often could be found dancing to her original Elvis vinyls or adding to her memorabilia collection.

In the Swinging Sixties, her adventures really soared, quite literally. United Airlines was hiring and her mom, Genevieve, told her to apply. Beverlee became a flight attendant during the jet age and lead quite the Jetset life, flying across the country and the world. While it seems the lavish, wild lifestyle from the outside, she retained her sweetness. Her United Airlines file is filled with accolades from the airline due to many passenger letters raving about her friendliness and great service. “Fly the Friendly Skies” was certainly true when Beverlee was onboard.

It was during her time flying that she was introduced to Tom Dibble, a friend of her sister Ginger’s husband, Erwin DeMars. At that time, Erwin and Tom were in the army and stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. Beverlee, based in Newark at the time, liked the way Tom looked in uniform and they began a long distance relationship, with him often driving across the west coast to meet her when she landed at various airports. After six years, on one of her trips to visit him in Hanford, she said “we should get married.” His response was “OK, will you marry me?” They had a ceremony for family on the land based ship “Princess Louise,” docked in Los Angeles harbor. The newlyweds had an adventurous honeymoon attempt in Barbados, which included a jet engine being on fire, requiring an emergency landing, but left after only two nights because she hated the heat. So, they went to Disneyland instead. A few years later, the Princess Louise sank. These could be seen as ominous omens for the start of their life together, but instead, they would be married for 53 years.

The couple settled in Hanford to start a family. Beverlee would give up her Jetsetter lifestyle to dedicate all of herself to loving and supporting her boys, David and Michael. Though she retired from United, she still would continue her love of travel and planned family summer trips that she felt her kids would love, just like her parents used to do. David studied the Civil War in school, so that summer, the family went to battlefields and museums. Both boys enjoyed trains, so trips always included railroads across the country. Her sweetness was evident whenever the boys’ friends came to the house as she would bake cookies, even on surprise visits. Since she seemed like the classic 1950’s mom, David and Michael’s friends nicknamed her June Cleaver after the “Leave it to Beaver” mother. Always being creative herself, playing piano and painting, she got her sons into art and music. David went into music and filmmaking and Mike played in the high school marching band and plays guitar. She was actively involved in supporting her boys’ activities from raising money for uniforms with the high school band boosters, designing and building floats for the band, traveling to USC football games to see David in the Trojan Marching Band, rooting for Mike at football games and even catering and building sets for David’s films. No matter their activity, she went all out in supporting them. When the boys left home, her favorite places to travel were wherever her sons were.

Love, sweetness and a touch of adventure; the life of Beverlee was really quite a story. Though, the story does not have a happy ending. She battled kidney cancer for 10 years. After seeming to be cancer free for 5 years, it returned in various organs throughout her body. Chemotherapy treatments wreaked havoc on her body and memory. When the cancer spread to her brain, focused radiation killed the malignant cells but also caused brain damage and triggered dementia. As Beverlee slowly became lost to herself and family with one of the most cruel diseases imaginable, the cancer continued to attack and the “treatment” of immunotherapy was the final poison that brought her frail body to the end. While Elvis music played in the background, she died in hospice at home with Tom, David and Michael by her side as she took her last breath.

She is missed dearly and there is now a painful void in her family’s lives. Hopefully she is now flying the truly friendly skies.

Beverlee was preceded in death by her parents, Genevieve and Donald Hansen. She is survived by her husband Tom, sons David and Michael (wife, Leila), brothers Brent (wife, Mary) and Jack Hansen (wife, Darlene), her sister Ginger DeMars, sister-in law Sharon Dibble, brother-in-law Doug (wife, Delores) along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.