January 25, 1957 – December 27, 2020
Beverly succumbed to Stage IV cancer on
December 27, 2020. Due to the COVID pandemic,
the funeral was delayed until now. We will be
celebrating Beverly Beaulne’s life on Sunday,
June 5th, at 2:30 PM, with a service at St. James
Parish in Okotoks. The event is open to anyone
who wishes to attend. Food will be served after
the service.
Beverly Dale Saunders was born in Cheltenham,
England on January 25, 1957. Or, if you believed
her mother, that’s when she fell to Earth, because
she firmly believed her daughter was angel.
At first, Beverly certainly acted like one - quiet,
demure, shy and obedient. And if that sounds
nothing like the Bev you knew, that’s because it
was discovered that she had a blockage in one of
her ears that made her partially deaf. After it was
removed, she was able to hear just what everyone
was saying - and then she started talking back.
One such incident involved her dancing around
her front yard chanting the worst swear word
known to British schoolchildren - “Bloody, bloody,
bloody!” - at the top of her lungs.
Speaking of red, her first car was a red convertible,
which she drove all over until she sold it and used
the money to travel to Africa for an overland
trip. Another traveller in that clunky, constantly breaking-
down van was Michel Beaulne, a
French-Canadian geologist. The trip was booked
to last just under a year, but the two remained
together for many more, travelling through not just
Africa but the world, eventually marrying.
When they rested their feet long enough to start
a family, they had two children of reasonable
attractiveness and intellect, and a series of dogs
who stitched themselves to Bev’s ankles, much
to her annoyance when she was rushing about
her kitchen carrying boiling pots of salsa. Despite
her zest for experimentation and cooking cuisines
from all over the world, a consistent, involuntary
ingredient would always be a dog hair or two.
Beverly was well-known around town for her
gregarious personality, her love of soccer and
dance, and her volunteer work for Operation
Christmas Child, Canadian Parents for French, The
Okotoks Fencing Club, and others. She is survived
and remembered by her husband, Michel, her
children, Chantal and Alex, her dog Oakley,
her brother Ashley, her many friends and the
community of Okotoks, of which she was a huge
part. She is remembered by many as the lady who
freely gifted salsa for Christmas, laughed loudly
and often, and loved without fear.
We will be celebrating Beverly Beaulne’s life on
Sunday, June 5th, at 2:30 PM, with a service at
St. James Parish in Okotoks. The event is open to
anyone who wishes to attend. Food will be served
after the service.
