Beverly Dight

April 29, 1930 - May 27, 2021

Our mother, Beverly Ann Dight, passed away peacefully surrounded by her children on May 27, 2021. Mom had the soul of an artist, a sense of adventure and a playful humor that always warmed our household. We will remember her smile, lovely presence, intelligence and epic April Foolery. She was a fun mother to have. Mom was born in Seattle to Karl and Dorothy Klovee on April 29th, 1930—followed by sisters, Ruth and Susan. After graduating early from Ballard High School, Mom attended the University of Washington. She married our father, Eugene Dight (aka Buster), in 1950 and by l960 there were five us: Ruth, Pam, Gene, Sharon and Karl. We moved from Seattle to Bainbridge Island in 1958 and eventually to the home on the water Mom so loved and where both our parents chose to end their days. Whether it was camping in the rain under a lean-to or venturing out in a leaky 16-foot cabin cruiser, Mom was ready for adventure always with kids in tow. She loved boating and exploring the islands every summer north to Desolation Sound. Family trips on a 28-foot wooden gaff-rigged sloop were treasured—though jaws dropped when people saw five children tumble from the boat’s tiny cabin. As we headed to college, Mom went back to school to become a nurse and worked for years at a clinic in Poulsbo where she instigated April Fool pranking that involved even the doctors. Her boldness impressed us. (Mom, you put a wet sponge on the doctor’s chair?) After retiring, Mom and Dad bought a home in Teacapan, a Mexican fishing village. For more than 20 years, they spent winters in Teacapan learning Spanish, exploring Mexico and helping their Mexican neighbors through Amigos de Teacapan, a philanthropic group Mom helped found with Dad. Mom loved poetry, joined an Island writing group and published three collections of poems: Experiments With Natural Light (1995), Mas O Menos ( 2003), and What We Always Say (2017). Her poems were featured in the Seattle Times, the 1987 Poets and Artists Calendar and poetry collections including A Blackberry Sun, Island of Geese and Stars, Exhibition and Scotch Broom. Our mother is preceded in death by our father and survived by her five children, their spouses, thirteen grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren as well as her two sisters, four nieces and a nephew. She had a good life and a good death but will be missed by all of us. A private memorial is being held on June 27th. Mom asked that any memorial gifts be donated to Seattle Children’s Hospital.