Beverly J. Morgan

Morgan—Beverly J. Morgan, 91, on October 7, 2021, at her home in Westby, Wis. Beverly was born on May 31, 1930, to Garnet Ward Brockelbank and Ethel Rose (Zamba), in Detroit, Mich. Beverly grew up in Princeton, N.J., where the family moved in 1932 to escape the poverty of the Great Depression. One of her recollections was meeting Albert Einstein when she was an operator at a hospital in Princeton.

Beverly married Norman Slamecka in 1951, and gave birth to a daughter, Lynn. She and Norman divorced, and Beverly married Nathaniel Morgan in 1954. They had three additional children, Ward, Tamsen, and Bethann.

Beverly earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and her master’s in special education at Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey) in Ewing, N.J. She completed her degrees while working full time and raising her children as a single mother. Beverly considered herself a lifelong learner.

Beverly lived in Buckingham, Pa., from 1961 to 1999. She embraced the Quaker faith in 1961, and was deeply involved in Quaker activities during her years in Bucks County. She worked for Bucks Quarterly Meeting as the coordinator and volunteered on many committees at Buckingham Meeting as well as Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

Beverly was a special education teacher from 1970 to 1990. In 1982, she and George Rowe founded the Quaker School at Horsham, an elementary school for special needs learners in Horsham, Pa.

In 1999, Beverly moved to Westby, Wis., to live near her daughter Tamsen. She was an anchor for the fledgling Quaker community. Beverly joined Viroqua (Wis.) Worship Group near its inception and was its spiritual mentor and elder. Members of the worship group loved her feistiness and sense of humor.

Beverly manifested her faith through endless work to address the needs of her worship group and its neighbors. She had the spark and perseverance to make things happen and a personality that drew others into the work.

Beverly could see that of God in everyone, and had the ability to help others to see that of God in themselves. She was fully present with people she met, most of whom experienced her boundless generosity and kindness. Beverly lived her life with gusto. She was an inspiration for how to live, how to age, and how to die. She was a role model for how to age without growing old, who faced her coming death with grace and courage—not welcoming it but not fearing it.

Beverly is survived by four children, Lynn Slamecka, Ward Morgan, Tamsen Morgan, and Bethann Morgan; her foster son, Wayne Johnson; four grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; and a sister, Eileen Ginter.