Beverly B. Clemensen

On November 13, 2023, Beverly Belle Otto McCarl Clemensen drew her last worldly breath.  Her children had watched over her for a few days prior, but had dismissed themselves to eat dinner, when the Memory Care Center called and said she had passed.  

We were sad that we were not there.  We had sat with her for several days, held her hand and her grandchildren spent time saying their goodbyes and telling the woman who feared death, but found it in her heart to defeat it, that it was all right to slip away to a place we cannot comprehend.  We were sorry we could not hold her hand or touch her forehead in her last moments, but hopefully, the passage was easy and took away the fears of this life and she is at peace.

Beverly was the child of Ted Otto and Dolly McCarl Otto.  Her mother left the Otto farmstead and returned to her parent’s home to bring Beverly into the world.  For various reasons, unknown to us now, Beverly remained in her grandparents’ home and when Dolly passed away when Beverly was 12, Floyd and Bella McCarl, Dolly’s parents, adopted her as their own.  They raised her, imparted their values and made sure she received higher education.  They taught her to always be sure you can support yourself and you will get through life with rewards.  

Beverly graduated from Miller High School and then attended Mitchel Business College where she studied secretarial procedures and bookkeeping. 

In 1946, at a local dance, Beverly met Christen Eldwin Clemensen, whom she married on June 11, 1947.  They had three children:  Barbara Annette Clemensen Musick (Michael); Aprille Annette Clemensen Taylor (Bill) and Christen Bruce Clemensen (Leslie).  Six grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren followed.  

In 1956 Beverly and Chris moved to Colorado.  They bought a house in Denver that became their home for 60 years.  After living in Denver for a few years, Beverly attended Emily Griffith Technical College and studied accounting.  She went to work for McDonalds Bakery and then took a position at the Denver Board of Water, where she was in the accounting department for 19 years.  She stated, “I loved the work and being able to do that kind of work.”  Always she was doing books, whether at home or in the office and she prided herself on keeping track of her monetary life in a clear and concise manner.

Upon retiring from the Water Board, she became an active volunteer.  She and Chris spent many hours volunteering at “Four Mile Historic House Museum”.  Here she would pursue another of her loves, sewing.  She made costumes for the volunteers, researching clothing from the early 1800s, she participated in the quilting guild at the Museum and she attended to décor of the house, specifically transforming the Museum into a Christmas wonderland of the time period. 

In another of her volunteer pursuits she became a certified water instructor for arthritis water classes.  She taught at the Schlessman Y.M.C.A. for 17 years, until age 90. It made her very strong and nimble in her later years.  She was a water queen. When she was living at the Memory Care Center the aides often remarked about how fast she would walk and how strong she was.  She always had an immense amount of energy.

In those years Bev and Chris traveled to many places.  They visited all 50 states and traveled to Europe.  Often, they invited family and besides the many cruises, there were family reunions, always in a different location, including any child or grandchild who could skip work and come.  

Above and beyond those activities, Beverly was known as an incorrigible shopper.  Whenever her family came to visit, we all knew a shopping trip would be in the offing.  She loved to window shop, she loved to handle the fabrics of clothing, she was a lover of acrylic fur.

It's important to note, something usually unspoken, Beverly courageously battled depression and anxiety most of her life. Losing her mother in her formative years and other traumatic events weighed heavily upon her and she carried substantial fears that greatly impacted her ability to navigate life’s ups and downs. However, Beverly sought counseling which was not the norm of the time.  For many years she worked hard to better understand herself and grew to become an understanding mother and a great companion to her grandchildren.  She was a role model for taking a stand and making improvements in one’s life.

She wrote that she, “wanted to be remember as a homemaker and had total love for her family”. But she was more than that.  She was a hard worker, helping the family financially.  She was concerned with the upbringing of her children, giving them every opportunity, she possibly could, and instilling in them values of love, humor, and resilience.  She was a community participant.  She was a stabilizing rock to the family she loved above all else.  She was kind and most of all “Our Mom”.