On January 2, 2022, the Ater family lost their long-time matriarch, Beverly Delery
Ater of Shepherdstown, WV, who passed away peacefully in her sleep. Born on
February 14, 1919, Beverly would have celebrated her 103 ^rd birthday this past
Valentine's Day.

Beverly was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of a rice mill
owner, Clarence Delery and his wife, Corinne Delery. Along with Beverly they
had five other daughters, Belue, Margie, Corinne, Shirley, and Yvonne, and one
son, Clarence ("Boy") Delery, Jr.

With World War II rapidly approaching, Beverly moved to New York City in 1941
with several of her sisters to help with the escalating war effort by doing clerical
work in U.S. government offices. It was in New York that she met the
"handsomest man I've ever seen", Ensign Malcolm W. Ater, Sr. of the U.S. Navy.
They quickly fell in love and were married six months later in 1942. After the war
she helped Malcolm start his own comic book publishing company in 1946,
Commercial Comics.

Besides doing clerical work, she also served as Vice-President of the two-person
company and along with their brother-in-law, famed artist Jack Sparling, they
began eating away at a new concept in the comic book industry known as
"giveaway" comics. By1950 the company had become the largest producer of
promotional, educational, and political giveaway comics in the country and was
featured in a four-page insert in Life Magazine. Among their early credits were the
first national political comic book, "The Story of Harry Truman" and "Forest
Fire," the very first comic book that introduced Smokey the Bear for the American
Forestry Association to the American public,

With their business in full swing, the couple moved from New York to Falls
Church, Va. where they began their family with daughter Christine. Soon
Malcolm, Jr., Cheryl, Charlene and Kevin followed. Beverly always said her most
important duty was to raise her daughters to be "Southern Belles" and her sons to
be "Southern Gentlemen."

With five kids in tow, Beverly gave up her duties at Commercial Comics and
became a full-time homemaker-and social entertainer. She always loved lunches
with friends and parties and BBQ's at home with neighbors. And it didn't matterhow many people were there-all it took was one more person for her to smile andsay, "Let's have a party!"

Beverly was preceded in heaven by her husband of 50 years, Malcolm, Sr. of
Shepherdstown in 1992, daughter Charlene Ater Sloan of Loudoun, VA, who
passed away in Oct. 2021, and grandson, Dr. Noah Richason of Ft. Walton Beach, FL in 2013. She was also preceded by her parents, brother, and all of her sisters and was the last of her immediate family.

Beverly leaves behind to mourn her, sons Kevin and Malcolm Jr (and wife
Valerie), of Shepherdstown, daughters Christine Ater of Ft. Walton Beach, FL and
Cheryl Ater Hurt and husband Paul of Durham, NC, son-in-law Hank Sloan of
Loudoun, VA, grandchildren Demian Perry, Reine Sloan, and Nathan Sloan, and
seven great grandchildren, along with special niece Corinne Baliga and husband
John.

Beverly's ashes will be buried with her husband of 50 years at Elmwood Cemetery
on April 30, with arrangements by Eackels-Spencer & Norton Funeral Home. Kevin, who was Beverly's caregiver for the last six years, and Malcolm will host "one last party" for her.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or the
SPCA of your choice. Or, in Beverly's honor, you can also raise a glass
heavenward and say to one person or twenty "Let's Have A Party! Beverly will join you.