Beverly Stewart

Please join us in celebrating the extraordinary life of Beverly Stewart, on Saturday June 18th, at Woodchester Villa in Bracebridge. Drop-in and visit between 1 pm and 4 pm.

This will be a joyous occasion so get your boogie shoes on, as there will be music, dancing, delicious food, and of course refreshments! No drab black for this event, as we encourage everyone to wear their most colourful outfit, in honour of our beautiful Bev.

We plan to have the celebration outdoors amongst the lovely gardens, but also have the option of moving things inside, in case of inclement weather.

There is no formal itinerary, and the event will be open-mic style, so people can share memories and stories if they feel moved to do so.

Parking is available at the Woodchester Public Parking Lot, located at 21 Entrance Drive. Once you park, you will see a pathway on the other side of the road, with signage for Woodchester Villa (look for the balloons) . You will need to take a short stroll along this gravel pathway, in order to get to the venue.

Guests with mobility challenges, are welcome to park/get dropped off at the Chapel Gallery parking lot (very limited parking spaces), located at 15 King Street.

The Chapel Gallery will be open, so we encourage guests to stop by afterwards, and browse through the creative works of talented local artists.

It is with great love and heavy hearts, that we share the news of beautiful Bev leaving this world, for her next journey. Bev passed away on March 27th, after a short battle with lung cancer. She passed peacefully, free of pain, with her two children and the love of her life, by her side.

Bev was fondly known to her family as Bunny, Bevvy, Momma, Ma, and Seester. Family and community were the most important things to Bev, and her acts of compassion, kindness, and generosity were boundless. Bev’s daughter Amanda and Son Trevor, were her greatest accomplishments. There was no prouder Momma than Bev, and she loved her children fiercely. She was not just a Mother to her children, she was also their best friend.

Bev could often be found counselling and comforting someone, and lived for deep conversation. She was a healer, protector, and confidant. When you were around Bev, she made you feel important and special. She was warm, open, a problem solver and crisis-manager-extraordinaire. Although Bev had an intense serious side, she was also the life of the party, a wild child, and an old hippie at heart. Bev had a wicked sense of humour, an awesome laugh, and loved dancing to the “oldies”.

Bev’s favourite “F” word was Feminist - the other “F” word was a close second. Bev’s career was focused on helping others, and she was an advocate and leader for social justice. She was a lover and a fighter, and a champion for social change, equality, and the empowerment of women. She was an inspiration to all.

Once Bev retired, she spent her time travelling, drinking fat glasses of red wine on the back porch, having sleepovers and blowing bubbles with her grandsons Nathan and Hunter, strolling hand-in-hand with her beloved husband Duncan, whooping her opponents butts in scrabble and mahjong, and whipping up the most badass baked goods in Muskoka!

A Celebration of Bev's Life will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Andy’s House or the Muskoka Women’s Advocacy Group would be appreciated by her family.

Bev was sassy, classy, and badassy - there will never be another like her!