Beverly Brown Peace
February 08, 1938 - May 12, 2021
Lake Forest California
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Beverly Brown Peace
February 08, 1938 - May 12, 2021
Lake Forest California
Obituary
On Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Beverly Brown Peace passed away at her home in Lake Forest, Calif., which she shared with her husband, Rev. Dr. Philip Peace. She was 83 years old. Despite the many physical challenges associated with spinocerebellar ataxia, she persevered courageously and outwardly focused her energies on her friends and family. She will always be an inspiration of a life well lived.
Beverly was born on February 8, 1938 in Richmond, Virginia to Rev. James and Mildred Brown. Because of the itinerancy of Methodist ministers, she lived in a number of places, but always held Williamsburg as “home.” It was there that the ethereal sounds of the William and Mary choir could be heard from the parsonage next door. Later in life, Bev developed a slide-lecture program on life in Colonial America which she presented in costume to many elementary schools during their study of early American history.
She earned a B.A. degree from Westhampton College and a Master of Religious Education from Duke Divinity School where she met her first husband, Rev. J.P. Floyd, Jr. They had their two children during J.P.’s first appointment to Trinity United Methodist Church in Tallahassee, Fla. She devoted much of her time to the Methodist Women and the Parent-Teacher Association. Through the League of Women Voters she chaired the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee of Polk County. For escapes, the family spent many hours paddling their canoe down some of Florida’s beautiful rivers.
After J.P.’s death in 1978, Beverly became first Assistant, then Dean of Women at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. In 1980 she married Phil and moved to Mission Viejo, Calif., where he was serving Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church. (As a child she vowed not to marry a minister to avoid living in the fishbowl of a parsonage, but then went on to do that very thing twice!)
While in Mission Viejo, she volunteered with English literacy programs and was employed to her great delight as an assistant in the county library system. When Phil retired, she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and they started and chaired a new chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. They loved California and took great delight in exploring the state.
Beverly will be greatly missed by her friends and extended family. She is survived by her husband Philip C. Peace, her children Alison Smith of Bartow, Fla., Paul Floyd (Gregory Norton) of Altadena, Calif., Ellen Berens (Norm), and Jon Peace (Daphne), grandchildren Skye Smith, Madison and Mackensie Peace, Sean and Ellie Berens, and sisters Cathy Southwell (Malcolm) of Seaford, Va. and Susan Brown of Richmond, Va.
A memorial service is planned:
Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
Shepherd of the Hills UMC
26001 Muirlands Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
UMCOR
458 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
www.umcmission.org
Shepherd of the Hills UMC
26001 Muirlands Blvd
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
http://shepherdofthehills.net
Memorial Service
- Date & Time: June 3, 2021 (2:00 PM)
- Venue: Shepherd Of The Hills United Methodist Church
- Location: 26001 Muirlands Blvd. Mission Viejo, CA 92691 - (Get Directions)
- Phone Number: (949) 837-2941
10 responses to Beverly Brown Peace
Nancy Hill says:
June 1, 2021
I’ve known Bev for about 75 years and she was always a delight. Even through her illness she maintained her positive and happy outlook and continued to fill the world with joy. I feel privileged to have known her and her family and send my sympathy and prayers.
Cindy Drew says:
June 3, 2021
Cindy Drew
Cindy Drew says:
June 3, 2021
Bev, you were quite a gal! I enjoyed walking around the lake with you and Hazel although it was tough to keep up with you two characters!
I’ll never forget the blood drives at church and one I always remember is the time that you fainted. We always got a good laugh over that and so did you.
You were the most unselfish person I have known. When I moved away and would come to church with my family, you always were asking all about me and how I was doing in Arizona.
I will miss you Bev.
Hazel Connally says:
June 4, 2021
Bev, I love you so much and will always treasure your friendship and the close bonds we shared. I felt as close to you as a sister. Your capacity for understanding, acceptance and compassion are unmatched. I treasure the many trips and adventures we shared over our 40 year friendship. The most memorable was the two weeks we spent in the little village of Lighthorn in England when I traded homes with the English family; eating meals in the nearby Pub, driving the old stick sift car on the wrong side of the road and laughing like the crazy Americans we were. The last several years of your life were so difficult, but you never complained. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend some time at your bedside on your last day here, just holding your
hand and talking to you. I will always love you and treasure your being in my life.
Jean Lehman says:
May 16, 2022
When I began attending church at RSM in 2007, Beverly would phone if I didn’t show up on Sunday to see if I was ill. She was always so kind and so upbeat–so nice to be around. She phoned me a couple of months ago — difficult as it was for me to speak–and sent me a card about six weeks ago — thanking me for my cards to her! We folded church bulletins on Fridays for some years. She was a librarian and I volunteered at our library here and we both loved books. She was so special. I shall miss her.