Beverly Ferris Schoel, 83, a resident of Mountain Brook, AL, died at home on Saturday, July 17, 2021. Beverly, better known as Bev to friends and Mopsi to her grandchildren, was born February 16, 1938 in Cincinnati, OH.
Her parents, now deceased, were Dr. Eugene Beverly Ferris, a native of Mississippi and Charlotte Hopkins Ferris of Boston, MA. They lived in Cincinnati, OH, where Dr. Ferris was Professor of Medicine, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, where Beverly’s father was Dean of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, and, New York City, where he was Medical Director of the American Heart Association.
Beverly spent her childhood years in Cincinnati and her teen years in Atlanta where she attended Northside High School. She played on the tennis team, was a star on the girls basketball team and a member of the National Honor Society.
In 1959 Beverly graduated from Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, with a BA in Music. She sang in the choir and served as Director of the Wellesley College Madrigals. During the summers she was a tennis instructor and Camp Counselor in Maine. After college she moved to Charleston, SC, and taught elementary grades at The Charleston Day School. It was in Charleston that she met Lt.Jg. William Schoel, a Naval Officer from Alabama, who would become her husband. The newly married couple moved to Birmingham, AL, for employment, residing in Mountain Brook.
After employment at Birmingham Trust National Bank, Beverly became a home maker and active in a number of cultural, social, educational and religious functions including serving as President of the Off-Shoots Garden Club and Co-Founder of the Overton Road Park Playground. She was active in the Brookwood Forest PTA and was President of the Mountain Brook Elementary School PTA. She was a member of Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook, and served as Sunday School Teacher, Choir member and President of the Church Choir as well as assistant Pianist. Beverly was an active member of The Junior Women’s Committee for the Birmingham Symphony and an officer and founding member of the Muses Dance Club.
Beverly was employed as Substitute Teacher, then School Registrar at Mountain Brook Elementary School for 24 years. She was beloved throughout the school and became well known as the Spelling Bee Caller for the Mountain Brook Elementary School system. The faculty and staff in all the schools affectionally referred to her as “The Queen Bee.”
Mrs. Schoel is survived by her husband of 60 years William Arnold Schoel, Jr. and three children, Charlotte Rebecca Schoel Minor, Greenwich, CT., Gretchen Ferris Schoel (Woody), Columbia, S.C., and William Arnold Schoel, III ( Lynn) Birmingham, Al, and seven grandchildren, Henry Andrews Minor, Winston Elliott Minor, William Brooks Minor, Beverly Ferris Holton, Henry Jett Holton, Meredith Eloise Schoel and William Richard Schoel. Surviving also is a sister, Ann Ferris, Ellijay, GA, and a brother Dr. Eugene Beverly Ferris (Joyce), Vicksburg, MS, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Beverly’s special interest was family history. Having attended a number of Genealogy Research courses at Samford University, she did extensive research of the Schoel and Ferris families. This research was the basis for her husband’s 700 page book, The Life of William Arnold Schoel, Jr and The Schoel / Lyon and Ferris / Hopkins Families, which she assisted in editing. Bev was fond of reading, classical music, bridge, knitting, needlepoint, cooking and travel, enjoying River Boat cruises on the Rhine and Danube Rivers in Germany and Austria.
If asked to characterize Bev’s personality, almost anyone who knew her would call her caring, positive, smart, witty and mischievous. Throughout her life she spent many wonderful vacations on the family farm outside Vicksburg, MS, as well as on the beach in Destin, FL. Mopsi was especially attached to her seven grandchildren and was an enthusiastic game player with all of them.
A Celebration of Life Service will held at Brookwood Baptist Church, 3449 Overton Road in Mountain Brook, AL, on Wednesday, August, 4, 2021. Visitation at 10:00 am preceding the service at 11:00 am.
The family request any memorials be given to the charity of your choice.
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