Beverly D. Van Osdol

Beverly D. Van Osdol

1930-2024

Beverly (Davies) was born in Rochester, NY on August 20, 1930, the second child after Dale Davies, to her parents, Edith and Weyburn Davies. All three are now deceased. Beverly’s elementary years in Rochester were closed when her family moved to a farm near Pond Creek, Oklahoma, where she completed high school in 1948. Beverly was a noted lady with a beautiful voice. After many years of voice training, she enrolled at North Oklahoma College, NOJC, in Tonkawa as a voice major. She participated in many stage productions while a student and also later at Cumberland University. While at NOJC she met a student who pursued her for a date until she finally accepted. That guy, a Navy Vet and football player, Bill Van Osdol, has been her husband since, March 8, 1950. Bill wrote a manuscript detailing their dating-romance days that was accepted for the Bride and Groom Show in Hollywood. After three days of rehearsal, they were married on the ABC network show which granted them a new convertible car to drive to Santa Barbara, San Markan resort for a week’s honeymoon. The show also provided gifts beyond description plus the wedding rings, gowns and tuxedos. At the close of the activities, they drove back to Oklahoma on old Route 66 and after a short stop at Pond Creek and Jet, they drove to Lebanon, Tennessee where Bill was accepted for law school. But even with Bill’s GI bill they could not manage and returned to Oklahoma. From 1950 to 1964, Bill graduated with a BA, MA, Ph. D and they finally settled in Edmond, at UCO. It is noted, though, that during those fourteen years they struggled many times trying to stay on top of sanity/poverty while experiencing Bill’s teaching English and coaching football at Moorland, OK Imperial and Chula Vista, CA, and Wichita, KS. All those stops were family maintained by Beverly’s skill, love and care for the family’s cohesiveness. She was the rock that bound these boys together during twelve home changes in fourteen years. Face it: that was a tough task for a young lady who released a possible singing career to be the lead maintenance of a financially struggling family. Days of courtship, and dancing to big-band music every weekend, left them wondering what would have happened had she chosen singing, rather than motherhood.

The years that followed more than satisfied her choice of family rather than singing. She has been the sturdy wall that provided a stable home that followed three boys and their wives: Kelly and Sherrye, with Kacy, Kory, and Kody; Scott and Joann with Bianca and Darci who were adopted on a trip to Romania; Chris and Shelly with Kyle and Blaze. These are the sole possession of Beverly’s willingness to bypass any detour that would have prevented this family’s constellation. The family shared all holidays and travel throughout this world, such as family trips on four cruises, single trips to Rome, Paris and London. These children became families with children and the Van Osdol name moves onward. The joy of Beverly’s life was not the equal of anyone. Her life was an investment in stabilizing a home that would carry forward her three sons to an extended family to which all can be proud. The results of this union are evident in Beverly’s expression, smile, tears, voice of love where she connects personally with her family. By sharing devotion, love, stability, and total connection to each family member, Beverly can definitely say, “I’ve climbed my mountain from where I can see a valley of infinite family love, the joy of my life.”

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, November 1, 2024. A memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m. at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel.