Beverly Joyce Syvrud, 95, passed away peacefully on August 10, 2026 at her home surrounded by her children and many family members.

Beverly would be the first to say she had a good life. Born in Ocanto, Wisconsin, to loving parents Pearl and Walter Wurtzler, she spent her teen years in Madison, Wisconsin where she met her future husband and lifelong companion and partner at a Sons of Norway dance. She married Donald Syvrud in 1951 and went immediately to living in Norway where she learned how to be a homemaker. Though Donald enjoyed tracing his genealogy back to the 1800s in Norway, it is Beverly who made Norwegian traditions a base of family life.

During their 59 year marriage, Beverly supported her husband as a diplomat's wife in McLean, VA, Europe, South America, and Africa while raising four children and three foster children. She was consistently a gracious hostess, making sure all guests felt welcome and well fed. Her family and community members knew they were always welcome at Beverly's house.

After retiring from their Washington DC lives, Beverly and Donald relocated for the last time to their home in Hillsboro, VA. Beverly spent those retirement years hostessing joyful gatherings with guests from all over the world and gardening, growing her favorite berries for jellies and tomatoes for sauces. An avid baker, she was well known for her “Chocolate Chipper” cookies and blueberry pies. She also advocated for the building of the Between the Hills Community Center and acquiring an ambulance for the Neersville Fire and Rescue Squad. In her 60's she became a certified and active EMT to satisfy the criteria for acquiring the ambulance. She participated on the Board of Directors of the Community Center for many years.

Beverly liked books and learning. She was curious about others and the world around her, thus her need to watch the PBS NewsHour every evening. She always had on hand a book for her book club meeting or a magazine like The Economist, The New Yorker, or Atlantic Monthly to keep herself abreast of world events and current trends. Willing to express her opinions about many issues, often political ones, she enjoyed passionate conversations and appreciated meeting new people and learning new information and ideas, though her children might say she could be stubborn in her opinions.

Beverly always enjoyed the fellowship of her congregation at Ebenezer Methodist Church in Hillsboro, VA. She actively participated on the church Parish Council, always volunteering for many committees and making food for all occasions.

Beverly was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and foster mother, an active community advocate, a faithful church member, avid gardener, loyal book club member, and an excellent bridge player. She will be greatly missed by her children and their spouses, Karen and Stephen Strickland, Erik and Carol Syvrud, Knute and Patricia Syvrud, and Liv and Michael Violette, her ten grandchildren and their partners, Elizabeth and Jake Terrell, Matthew Strickland and MK Doherty, Samuel Violette and Lacey Russ, Kelsey Syvrud, Haley Syvrud,, Leila Violette, Patrick and Sharon Strickland, Amy Syvrud, Tor Syvrud and Rachel Henderson, and Katherine Strickland and Jacob Feldgoise, and two great grandchildren, Charlotte Terrell and Bodhi Syvrud.

Friends are invited to join the family at a celebration of her life on November 7, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. at the Between the Hills Community Center, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro, VA

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to Ebenezer Methodist Church, 11592 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville, VA, 20132 or Doctors without Borders https://give.doctorswithoutborders.org.