Beverly Picken
Groton — Beverly Jean “Auntie” Picken entered into eternal life on Thursday, July 13, 2017, just short of her 69th birthday. She was a patient at The Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, following longterm treatment for respiratory failure.
She was the daughter of the late Ernest and Hazel (Burnett) Picken, born on the 16th of July 1948, in New London. She was a 1967 graduate of Fitch Senior High School in Groton. For nearly 35 years, she worked for Ray Brown at American Bookkeeping and later took over the business. She was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Groton for over 50 years.
Bev would like to let you all know that her work here on earth is done. She received a call, a sort of offer you can’t refuse, for an appointment from which she will not be returning. This assignment comes with a huge sign-on bonus, a reunion with long-lost family and friends, and job security is exactly 110 percent. This new assignment takes her to a new place where she will be socializing, reading to her heart’s content and of course playing baseball for hours and hours while wearing her favorite Yankees hat and Jeter shirt. She left detailed instructions for her family and friends to celebrate her mission here; which has now been completed. Low adherence to this instruction will not be tolerated.
We want to let her know that she did a great job and that we all wish her a safe journey. We will forever remember and cherish her smile, warmth, energy, kindness and the love for life that she shared with her family and the many friends she met along the way. She valued her friends, both those whom she met while working at American Bookkeeping, and the amazing staff at The Hospital for Special Care in New Britain — many of whom became great friends that were like a second family to her. Beverly worked very hard her entire life up until her illness consumed her, and even then she still pushed on working from her hospital room for as long as she was able to. Many of her clients would tell us that Bev kept them from losing their businesses and some even joked that she kept them from spending time in jail.
In her youth, Bev was a gifted softball player, but her playing years were cut short because there were no established leagues for girls. She turned her passion for playing into a love of coaching and practicing with her brothers. When her youngest brother joined the Groton “Rotary” Little League team, she became an assistant coach under the auspices of legendary coach Ted Hespeler. Coach Hespeler, with Bev’s help, produced championship teams for most of the years that they coached together. Bev’s attention-to-detail skills helped her ability to convey the fundamentals and respect for the game of baseball. While many players on the team couldn’t catch a fastball from Chad with much success, to Bev it was routine. Later, Bev enjoyed attending family sporting events where she even kept stats and quickly offered pointers on how to improve. She loved following the New York Yankees and was the first to advise family members in 1994 that a young prospect named Derek Jeter was going to be a special player and might even become the Yankee’s captain someday (he wasn’t elevated to the majors until 1996). Bev also was a big fan of the New York Football Giants and she never missed a televised game. She was a dedicated fan of the UConn women’s basketball team, well before its rise to fame.
She was close with her two sisters. One of her most cherished memories was traveling with her sister, Vivian, to Hawaii to visit their younger sister, Elise. As the years went on and the family grew larger, so did Bev’s role in the family. Bev was 15 years old when her youngest brother was born. She became like a second mother to him and always kept him grounded. To all her nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and even young cousins, she was simply known as “Auntie!” Generous with her time and love, she was always there to lend a hand to anyone when needed. Their childhood memories are filled with numerous sleepovers, where they got to stay up late watching movies and enjoying amazing snacks. She loved them all equally, but each one felt like they were number one with her. Bev’s greatest gift was that she was truly “Humble and Kind” without fail. A trait we all hope to emulate.
Bev is survived by her two sisters, Mrs. James (Vivian) Crowley of Pawcatuck and Ms. Elise Wagner of Westfield, Mass.; her two brothers and their spouses, Paul and Paula Picken of Ledyard and Chad and Susan Picken of Groton; and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Ernest (Jacqueline) Picken III of New Hampshire; plus, many nieces and nephews. She leaves behind her best friend and business partner, Shauna Miner of Groton. She is predeceased by her parents and her brother, Ernest Picken III.
At the request of Beverly, a Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 28, at Sacred Heart Church in Groton. A private burial will be held at Starr Burying Ground at the convenience of the family.
Byles-Groton Memorial Home, 310 Thames St., Groton will be overseeing the arrangements. There are no calling hours. On behalf of Beverly, in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to the following organization would be appreciated: The Hospital for Special Care, 2150 Corbin Ave, New Britain, CT 06053.
Please visit www.Byles.com to sign the guest book or to share a memory.