Tribute to Bev

By Don Kelm

Emilee asked me to say a few words to pay tribute to my sister Bev.  When I was thinking of her and who she was, the scripture that immediately came into my mind was 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – the love chapter … “love is patient, love is kind” etc.  It lists off a number of attributes that I think perfectly describe my sister.  In fact if I replace the word “love” with her name, it doesn’t seem unnatural, it just fits.

·        Bev was patient, Bev was kind, she did not envy, she did not boast (except for maybe her children and grandchildren, and of course her brother).

·        She did not dishonor others – I can’t think of a conversation with her where she spoke in a dishonoring way about anyone. 

·        She was not self-seeking, she never tried to build herself up or put herself above others.

·        She was not easily angered.  It was hard to get under her skin, except maybe as kids when her younger brother was deliberately trying to get her angry.

·        She kept no record of wrongs and I think she forgave in an other-centered self-giving way towards her family and friends, which is the definition of Agape love.

·        She did not delight in evil but rejoiced with the truth.  Bev was straight laced, enjoyed squeaky-clean TV shows and she was honest to the core.  Because of that you could trust her.  She spoke the truth in love.

·        The last verse says, “Love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres”.  The two words from that verse that describe her and jump out for me are … “she protects and perseveres”.  Bev was protective of her children and grand children like any mamma bear.

·        And she persevered – she was an extremely dedicated worker and always did above and beyond what was required of her.  I remember this even from a young age.  She applied herself a lot more than I did, and was a great student.

·        This characteristic continued through her whole life.  She was diligent and hardworking and she persevered even when she faced significant challenges.

·        Of course, these scriptures describe what Bev was like – her attributes and her character, but she was so much more to us.

·        She was a wife, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a friend and a child of God who was deeply loved by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

These attributes were present in her during the good times and also during the challenging times in her life, but as she was sensitive to the Holy Spirit she was able to share love in our lives in different ways and at different times.  She was not one to bring a lot of attention to herself but she had a quiet powerful presence.

I believe we can honor Bev by remembering how she touched our lives.  We can do this by - cherishing those memories ourselves, writing them down while they are still fresh in our minds, placing them on the memories section of her website to be shared by all, or speaking those memories to family and friends.  I believe this will encourage us all and remind us of how much she touched our lives.