Beverly Ann Brasells, 87, of Dartmouth Massachusetts, passed away March 23, 2021 in Tucson, Arizona. She has chosen to be cremated and have her ashes scattered in the desert. At her request there will be no memorial service. She asked that those who cared for her celebrate her life in private and rejoice with her that she is no longer in pain. 

Beverly was born in 1933 to George and Amanda Brasells. She had one sibling; an older brother named George Jr. Her father was the caretaker of a rich mans “play farm”. This means she grew up around horses, chickens, cattle, deer and even peacocks and swans! Her childhood setting might have been idyllic, but she struggled to fit into the image her family had of what a good daughter should act like, as she had no interest in housekeeping or cooking. One night, as a young girl, she went to her room and looked at herself in the mirror. She told herself, “There is nothing wrong with me, it’s their problem not mine!” 

With a newfound sense of self-worth, she pursued her dreams and refused to let her parents define her. She was a complete tomboy, and her horse Rex was her best friend. She was known as “slugger” when she played girls baseball, and she never backed down from a challenge. In high school she sang in the choir, and during a practice of her solo of the Ave Maria the choral director told her she would “never sing like that again”. She also was a drum majorette, and a cheer leader. 

When the time came to go to college, her parents refused to help her. She told them, “That’s alright, others have done it and I can too!” She was a fighter who would not allow them to stop her from following her dreams. She was fortunate to have a friend in Mrs. Swift, who boarded her while she was in school, and a job at the local bookstore every time she came home from college. She never let them get her down, and she graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in music in 1955. 

After college she became a music supervisor in the same area she was once a student. She travelled from school to school and loved how music brought everyone together. It did not matter to her what you looked like or where you came from, just that you tried to do your best. As a result, her students loved her.  

During this time, she was married to her first husband, Eddie Turner. After they were divorced, she moved for a brief time to Las Vegas, Nevada. From there she found her way to California, where she became an administrative assistant in the Aerospace Industry. She met her second husband, Walter Hodgkins there. They had one child together, Debra Lynn, in 1965. By 1970 she and Walter had separated. They never reconciled and the divorce was finalized five years later. 

She chose to return to teaching and became an assistant to a Special Education teacher at Colina Intermediate School, in Thousand Oaks, California. She fell in love with the children and became certified as a teacher for Special Needs children full time. While working with these children she often remarked, “I learn more from them than they do from me”. Both the children she taught, and their parents thought the world of her.  

She met fellow teacher John Frame, while working there, and married him in 1976. He was a wonderful man, and they remained together until 1987. She swore at the time she was “done with men, three strikes you’re out!” 

While she was married to John, they became vegetarians. She learned to cook such classics as soybean surprise casserole, and other meat free entrees. Eventually, she decided to go one step further and become a full-on Vegan. 

Beverly is preceded in death by all her former husbands, her mother and father, and her brother. She is survived by her only child, Debra Lynn Jasperson, her Son in Law Don Jasperson, her grand daughter Chelsea, her grandson Patrick, and her “sister of the heart” cousin Penny Santos. She is also survived by her brother’s children, Beth, Sandy, Karen, and David.