Beverly Rastivo

Beverly Adair Rastivo passed away peacefully on February 28th at 87 years old. For a long while, she had battled dementia with her own unique mix of defiance, determination, and irony, even surviving COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Her sheer will to live has awed her family, and they will surely tell each other the tale of her perseverance (and her sarcasm) for the rest of their own lives.

Born in 1934 in Brooklyn, New York to John and Madeline Edwards, a banker and a homemaker, Beverly was a natural crooner and, as a young child, sang on the radio as “Little Miss Marks” until the death of her mother Madeline when Beverly was just five years old. Formed by this loss and raised by her father and a series of stepmothers, Beverly was known as a solemn child and an excellent student with an incongruent obsession with Hollywood. Her love of drama—of escaping into a story—was well-known throughout her life. Her favorite outing was “lunch and a movie.”

Beverly’s first occupation was as a Legal Assistant on Wall Street—a job she loved and talked about often. In the early 1960s, she married and moved to eastern Long Island where she lived for many years, busy and engaged as a homemaker and as a tutor at Arrowhead Elementary School. Later in life, she moved to Virginia, close to her daughter.

She was an avid sports fan, mainly baseball at first, but later she truly relished watching her grandsons play lacrosse. She was not above bragging: if you would listen, she would tell you how brilliant, athletic, and beautiful her grandchildren were.

She loved board games and card games and game shows. Her heart was softest for creatures: birds and dogs especially. The latter she fed incessantly—to the chagrin of neighbors and employers. The former she loved with abandon and commitment, raising her own and giving to every animal charity imaginable. She had a quick wit and a sharp tongue, and she prioritized humor—if you were funny, you were probably okay in her book.

Beverly is survived by her devoted husband of 59 years, Matteo; and her children Kenneth O’Keefe, Russell Rastivo (wife Cindy), and Leigh Rastivo Nolan (husband Mike); and her grandchildren Cori, Angus, Steven, Ian, Michael, Alexandra, and Aleah; and a 13-year-old great grandchild who loved playing games and laughing with her. Beverly was sarcastic to the very end, and her family will miss her.

A commemorative service will be planned soon. Meanwhile, if anyone would like to honor Beverly’s life, the family suggests a memorial donation to ASPCA.org in her name.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.obdavisportjefferson.com for the Rastivo family.