Beverly Jane West Hathaway

Beverly Jane (West) Hathaway, age 98, of Dallas, Texas, passed away from stage 4 metastatic colon cancer in Beaumont, Texas on February 20, 2024.  She was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, to Chauncie and Metta West.  She was a force of nature, and her spirit is carried on by her many descendants.  It’s impossible to capture who she was in an obituary, but here goes…

She was a sharp southern lady with sparkling eyes and a tinkling laugh.  She raised her 12 children to be ladies and gentlemen with manners, independence, and a strong work ethic.  Beverly had a self-deprecating sense of humor and was a little red-headed keg of dynamite if you brought out her temper.  She loved babies and was a plant whisperer.  She was a master storyteller, writer, and a talented sketch artist and painter.  Beverly loved fresh flowers and made the best deviled eggs on this side of the Mississippi.  She was an avid book reader and movie watcher, especially reruns of anything starring Tom Selleck.  She loved pets and always had a dog by her side for most of her life.

Always focused on family, Beverly was passionate about family history and was a professional genealogist for 23 years.  During this time, she traveled and lectured, taught genealogy classes, and wrote and published 5 books on southern research that can still be found in genealogical libraries nationwide.

Beverly raised her children in the gospel of Jesus Christ and firmly believed that families can be together forever.  Because of this, she and her husband, John, served a mission at the Dallas, Texas Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She led a rich, wonderful life over the past 98 years and left an amazing legacy to those who knew and loved her.

She is preceded in death by her sweetheart, John Hathaway, whom she married in 1948, and her four children, Yvonne Hathaway, Jeffery Hathaway, Jacqueline Hathaway, and Eric Hathaway.  She is survived by her children and their spouses: Maureen and Rick Rhodes, Kathaleen and Tom Clifford, Michael and Lucia Hathaway, Rebecca Hathaway and Dave Lockwood, Patrick and Celeste Hathaway, Christopher and Meredith Hathaway, Matthew and Tami Hathaway, and Melissa and James (Mick) Cochran.  Also surviving are 32 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, nieces Nancy Chesson and Linda West, and nephew Terry West.

Services will be held at the Beaumont Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7785 Weaver Drive, on Saturday, March 2, 2024.  The family will receive visitors from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., with services in the chapel starting at 3:30 p.m.  Beverly will be interred beside her beloved husband in Durant, Oklahoma, on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

Flowers may be sent c/o Matthew Hathaway, 164 Berkshire Lane, Beaumont, Texas 77707.  We love you, Mama. Families Are Forever.