Beverley James

February 28, 1933 - December 29, 2022

Beverley Frances Smith was born February 28, 1933 to Dorothy and William S. Smith, and raised in Piedmont, CA along with her younger sister Penelope. Beve met Preston Merrill James, the love of her life, in 8th grade and they attended Piedmont High School and UC Berkeley together. They married in 1954 and she taught second grade while Preston attended medical school in San Francisco. Between 1957 and 1961 they had 3 children, moving to Oakland, Flagstaff AZ, and San Pedro so that Preston could complete his training and military service. Beve and Preston returned to San Francisco in 1962 to raise Michelle, Laurel, and Craig.

Beverley was a loving and supportive person with a great sense of humor, who truly thrived as a mother. She was also an expert crafter; her needlepoint canvases are works of art, and her original stainedglass work is treasured by her children. Beve and Preston passionately loved dogs, raising many mixed breeds, Labrador retrievers and poodles over the years. They were avid Cal Bears fans, attending football games in person well into their 70’s. Once their children were grown, they became enthusiastic travelers, touring many countries by bicycle and making lifelong friends along the way. They also loved visiting cousins in northern British Columbia and Western Australia, and traveling frequently to Yosemite and Hawaii with their children and grandchildren, creating wonderful memories. Beve and Preston moved to Davis, CA in 1997, where they thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company until Preston’s death in 2017.

Beve adored her 4 grandchildren: Tessa Artale McGovern, Thomas Michael, Sara Artale, and Jared James. Tessa remembers reading Harry Potter books with her grandmother, and dining and watching Jeopardy with her grandparents at their home during her college years at UC Davis. Thomas remembers his grandmother’s wise advice to cherish your loved ones while you can, and attributes his appreciation of football to his grandparents – as he loved accompanying them to Cal games. Sara remembers feeling safe and loved on her grandma’s lap as a child, and playing cards on family vacations and seeing grandma wink at her from across the table when she was bluffing (or was she?). Jared loved walking the dogs with her, and watching David Letterman together while eating pistachio ice cream. In his words: “my grandma always made me feel love and seen, and I miss her very much.”

Beverley is survived by her children Michelle (David Artale) and Laurel (Mark

Michael), and her 4 grandchildren, all of whom loved her very much and miss her tremendously. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Preston, her sister Penny Smith Hoffman, and her son Craig.

Beve’s wit, warmth, and welcoming presence throughout her incredibly full life will be remembered by those who had the pleasure of knowing her. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Beverley’s favorite non-profit organization, the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County (marinemammalcenter.org). A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.