Beverly S. Mckay

WILLIAMSTOWN - Beverly S. McKay, 80, died on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at her home, after a valiant battle with cancer, fought with grace and courage.

Born in Northfield on December 24, 1940, she was the daughter of Arthur L. and Lenita (Stygles) Stone.  She attended the one-room Clogston School on Stone Road in Williamstown, Williamstown Village School for 6th - 11th grades, and then graduated from Hardwick Academy with Pro Merito honors.  Initially upset that her father made her move to Hardwick for her senior year, she discovered she loved “town life”: playing basketball, enjoying ice cream sundaes after school (which started her lifelong love of ice cream), making lots of friends and generally having fun.  As a middle child in a large family, in relative isolation on the Stone Road, the opportunity to excel, have fun and expand her horizons in Hardwick inspired her to apply to college in Boston.

Beverly was accepted, but never attended, the prestigious Massachusetts General Hospital program for Nursing.  She would have made a wonderful nurse but instead spent her life caring for her family, like so many women of her generation: her siblings, particularly her albino siblings; nurturing her three (she wanted to include “magnificent”) daughters; her first mother-in-law, Williamina Rugo, during her battle with cancer; her Rugo sisters-in-law; and others for whom she was a “shelter in a storm”.  She welcomed into her home a cousin/”sister” and her two children, her father, a brother, a sister and others at different times.  She carried on her mother’s tradition of lovingly welcoming people in.

As Arthur Stone’s daughter, Beverly learned early to work alongside six of her siblings, who were her lifelong best friends.  That indoctrination into the value of work was part of her fiber.  She worked from a young age for local families (MacDonald and Carpenter), for an aunt, and she was a “candy-striper” at the hospital for one year.  When her children were small she went to work for the Merchants Bank, rising from teller to branch manager.  She loved serving her community and viewed her role as helping people build their lives rather than simply serving their banking needs.  She then worked for Noyle Johnson Insurance and later moved to the Central Vermont Teachers Credit Union.  Throughout Beverly’s career she made dear friends who became her “work families”.  Besides having a huge work ethic, she also never complained, never focused on tragedy, and never dwelled on the past.  She always looked for the positive.

Bev’s passions were her family, her friends, and her gardens.  Like her mother, she loved people, children, and beauty.  She loved to gather together with people and laugh- she shared her brothers’ sense of humor.  Many times, she said, “food is love” and so she loved sharing meals with people she cared about.  She enjoyed going to art classes because there was a lot of socializing and laughter, and she never knew what “creature” was going to come out of the end of her brush.  Bev created beautiful quilts for family, every stitch made with love.  She loved traveling with her husband and her daughter and son-in-law.

She leaves behind her heartbroken family including her devoted partner of 50 years, Bradford McKay, who showed up on her doorstep with a bag of groceries and stayed to help her raise her daughters; her daughter Tanya Gold and her husband, David of Waterbury, VT; her daughter Tamara Strang and her husband, William and their son Henry of Springboro, OH; her daughter Shaunn and her husband, Giuseppe, and their daughter Sofia of Chicago, IL.; her sister Sandra Stone; her brother Steven Stone; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and special friends.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sisters Pamela Trask and Agatha Deep; and her brothers Bruce Stone, Roderick Stone, and Keith Stone.

Memorial contributions may be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice (CVHHH), 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641.

The family wishes to thank all of those at CVHHH who helped care for Bev and support her family while caring for her, as well as Dr. Elizabeth Suiter and Dr. Eswar Tipirneni.

Those wishing to leave condolences, or recount memories or stories - since Beverly was never one to talk about herself - may do so on the guestbook associated with this obituary, by emailing them to RememberBev@gmail.com or by mailing them to Tanya Gold, 140 Palermo Lane, Waterbury, VT 05676.  Memories would be welcomed by Bev’s family as they hope to have a celebration of Beverly’s life at a later date.