Beverly Ruth Eddy Hawes

Beautiful Beverly Ruth Eddy Hawes was born on 14 January 1938 in Boise, Idaho, to Katharyn Schnell Eddy and Joseph Charles Courtney (JC or Court) Eddy. As the only child of the Eddys, both schoolteachers, Beverly was adored, independent, and driven to emulate the good values and traits they carried. Like them, education was important to her, and she attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education with Honors (class of 1960) and briefly taught elementary school. It was during this time that she met the love of her life, Rodney Allen Hawes, Jr., while working at First Security Bank in Boise, Idaho. It was love at first sight for Rodney, but as he relays, “I had to work hard to get her to agree, and I had to pretend I was ecstatic she was the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.” His charms worked, and they fell in love, marrying in Boise at the First Presbyterian Church on 27 November 1959. Soon Rodney and Beverly welcomed four children—Kimberly Ruth Hawes Oakes, Kelly Christine Hawes Reintjes, William Rodney Hawes, and Steven Taylor Hawes. Beverly gave her whole heart and life to her children. While still living in Idaho, Rodney and Beverly were introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by dear friends, David Ward, Dick Johnson, L. Aldin Porter, and J. Richard Clarke, becoming stalwart members and embarking on a lifetime journey of church service, love of the Savior and the Gospel. Soon Rodney and Beverly moved their family to the East Coast, where two more children were born, Tamara Lee Hawes Woods and Thomas Courtney Hawes. They raised their children in New Canaan, CT, living there for more than 45 years with a few precious years in Tampa, FL, in between. Beverly was a visible and loved figure in the town, helping with Meals on Wheels, PTA boards, Waveny Care Center, Junior League, and played a most active role as sports mom extraordinaire to her children’s sports teams. Everyone in her New England community, old and young, loved her and felt better in her calming presence; people loved just being around her. Always ready with an irreverent quip or a clever side comment, she put everyone at ease, treating everyone with the same degree of respect and kindness, whether they be heads of state, kindergarteners, Broadway stars, or high school lacrosse players. This trait was critical when Beverly used her influence in the building of Hawes Hall at Harvard Business School, in the creation of the Hawes Scholarship awards at BYU Marriott School of Management, and in the supporting of schools in various countries around the world. However, her kindness and gentle manner could give way to stern rebuke when she saw injustice and mistreatment of the downtrodden. A champion of the forgotten, the outlier, the neglected, the awkward, and the overlooked, Beverly’s reach could encircle them all, making them feel loved, worthy of her time, special, good, priceless, and irreplaceable. No one was insignificant to her. Upon hearing any need, Beverly was quick to respond, anonymously buying Christmas gifts for families in need, sewing baby blankets for orphans, or secretly giving work and necessary supplies to whomever needed it. Her goodness continued after she and Rodney moved to Idaho, coming full circle to where it all began. After determinedly and valiantly beating the odds, Beverly peacefully returned home to be with her Heavenly Parents early in the morning of 21 November 2019 surrounded by loved ones. A lovelier woman never there was.

Information regarding an Open House following the services will be announced at the funeral services.