Beverly Grace Ward
October 31, 1931 - November 12, 2021
Beverly Grace (Kennedy) Ward, or “Nanny” as she was lovingly called by her granddaughter and great-grandson, 90, of Sault Ste. Marie, MI passed away unexpectedly on Friday, November 12, 2021. She was born in Sault Ste Marie to Saul and Grace (Telford) Kennedy. Beverly graduated from Sault High School with the Class of 1949 and went on to work at Michigan Bell as a telephone operator for 33 years until she retired in 1984 to help care for her young granddaughter, Heather. Beverly was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church where she was a deacon and a member of the Presbyterian Women. She also was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and the Chippewa County Historical Society. Having spent her entire life living in Sault Ste. Marie and 90 years in the same house, Beverly loved the Soo and enjoyed reminiscing about the old days – which shops or restaurants used to be in this building or that. Her eyes lit up when she talked about the history of the Soo. Beverly had a huge passion for volunteer work. She spent a lot of her retired years volunteering for Hospice, making pasties for the Telephone Pioneers fundraisers, sewing tablecloths to sell at the church’s annual Christmas bazaar and working at March of Dimes fundraisers. She was also an avid blood donor, supporting the American Red Cross. She enjoyed traveling in earlier years with her friends out to the east coast and up into Canada. Beverly also traveled out west to visit her brother in Wyoming and Oregon with her daughter and granddaughter and to Florida to visit her sister & brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Johnny. Lots of times she traveled to Midland, Michigan with her daughter and granddaughter to visit her sister Dorothy & brother-in-law Clair and her niece & nephews. She was also able to take two trips with her daughter to Las Vegas, Nevada to visit her granddaughter & her husband, Nick. One of Beverly’s favorite places to spend time in the summer was Leelanau Pines Campground. She often went camping there with her family and friends. Beverly always made everyone feel welcome in her home. Making people feel like part of the family was her specialty. She was famous for her sloppy joes, homemade potato salad and Texas sheet cake. Beverly was preceded in death by her parents, Saul and Grace; brother and sister-in-law, Alexander and Marge Kennedy; sisters and brothers-in-law, Elizabeth and John Johnson & Dorothy and Clair Huey; nephew, Paul Johnson; and her beloved dog, Meikuo. Beverly is survived by her loving daughter, Mary Susan (Ron) Nelson of Sault Ste. Marie, MI; granddaughter, Heather (Nicholas) Smith of Vienna, Austria; great-grandson, Owen (her little turtle dove as she always called him); four nieces - Ellen (Robin) Merrill of Dewitt, MI, Jackie Johnson, Joy (David) Cunningham and Lori Thompson all of Sault Ste. Marie, MI; three nephews – Don Huey and David Huey of Midland, MI and Dan Huey of Asheville, NC; and dear friends Debbie Norton and Mary Jo Fox of Sault Ste. Marie, MI. A special thank you to all of her caregivers for the wonderful and compassionate job they did over the past few years. Your help, kindness and love is appreciated. Beverly - our mother, grandmother, aunt, friend - was a gem, the rarest kind. She was her daughter’s and granddaughter’s best friend, a great listener and lover of laughter. The light may have dimmed for now, but her spark is still alive within her family and those who knew her best. She will be remembered, missed and loved forever. Cremation has taken place and private services will be held at a later date. Memorials may be left in her name to The First United Presbyterian Church Choir, 555 Bingham Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie MI 49783 or Hospice of EUP, 308 W. 12th Ave., Sault Ste. Marie MI 49783. Galer Funeral Home & Cremation in Pickford, Michigan is serving the family at www.galerfuneralhomes.com
Beverly Grace (Kennedy) Ward, or “Nanny” as she was lovingly called by her granddaughter and great-grandson, 90, of Sault Ste. Marie, MI passed away unexpectedly on Friday, November 12, 2021. She was born in Sault Ste Marie to Saul... View Obituary & Service Information