Beverly Marie Neely Bruce

Beverly Marie Neely Bruce
WEDDINGTON -- Beverly left this beautiful world on August 17, 2009, surrounded by her family at the Levine and Dickson Lodge in Huntersville -- hopefully headed for a gated community in not too hot a region. Ours is not to judge.
Born on November 10, 1954, in High Point, Bev was the daughter of Sidney Landry Neely and Mildred Witherspoon Gideon Neely; and the granddaughter of the late Howard Gideon and Lucy Hinman Gideon, of Baton Rouge, La., and the late Eugene Austin Neely and Lillian Landry Neely, of High Point. In addition to her grandparents, she was predeceased by her wonderful mother; uncles Austin, Bill and Steve Neely; aunts Mary Edith and Peggy Neely; and cousin Chris Neely.
Bev is survived by her loving and devoted husband Robert Dolford Bruce Jr. and their incredible daughters Neely Marie Bruce and Caroline 'Callie"' Sydney Bruce, of Weddington; her dear father and stepmother Sid and Virginia Neely, of Charlotte; brother Sid Neely Jr., of Washington, D.C.; brother Bob Neely and his wife Pat, of Charlotte; and sister Liz 'Betsy' Neely Heafner and her husband Jim, of Charlotte. Also, nephew Alex Neely, his life partner Heather Carrion and their daughter Isa"bev"a; niece Elizabeth T. Neely; uncles Byrd and Jim Neely; and aunts Judy, Carolyn, Betty, Landry 'Honey' Neely and Mary 'Tiny' Poff. Other survivors include members of the Hinman, Carley, Ricketson and Jorgensen families, and many cousins to carry on the Neely family lineage.
Bev was a devoted genealogist for her family from a young age. She spent her early years in Atlanta, where she was happy as a tick. The Neelys briefly lived in Wheaton, Ill., until the family begged to return to the South. They moved to Charlotte in 1966, and never moved away again. Bev attended Lansdowne Elementary, Randolph Junior High and East Mecklenburg High School, where she graduated in 1973. She studied at Greensboro College for two years before graduating from the East Carolina University School of Art in 1977. 'Ms. Neely' was an elementary art teacher in the northwest area of Charlotte for eight years. She loved teaching and was named Teacher of the Year at University Park Elementary School. She also worked at Camp Nor'wester on Lopez Island, Wash., for three summers.
In 1982, Bev met Robert Bruce on a bike ride in the country, and they became best buddies. He would always say, 'If you'd grown up in my neighborhood we would have built forts and played Army together all the time.' They married on October 22, 1983. Upon the arrival of their beautiful daughters, Bev resigned from teaching to be a full-time mom. She would later begin Studiobev, her professional artist's studio. And always, with the greatest husband by her side, she maintained her sense of self.
She was a member of the Guild of Charlotte Artists and the Charlotte Art League, and served on the board of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. She was president of the Tarheel Cyclists, and a member of the Weddington Racquet and Swim Club. Her civic activities include her 23-year membership and service as past-president of Lower Providence Women's Club, and a 40-year membership at St. John's Episcopal Church, where she was on the vestry. One of her latest and greatest endeavors was her role as Charlotte Chapter Director for Flashes of Hope and co-director for Flashes of Hope at Victory Junction Gang Camp. She was recently honored as a 2009 LINK Leading Lady nominee.
In February of 2006, Bev was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian 'c'. She tackled it with great force, and after 10 months of harsh chemo treatments, she declared victory, crediting her active lifestyle for being in shape to do so. During this time she began sending out emails that chronicled her experiences and the progress of her journey for friends and relatives who became known as her 'Dear and Faithful Readers.' The emails soon evolved into regular inspirational writings that touched more people than she would ever know. Her artistic spirit had begun to shine through these uplifting written words that were perhaps, with the exception of her daughters, some of her most successful creations. Her 'newsletters' were forwarded all over the world to hundreds, even thousands, of strangers; strangers connected by someone who cared. She continued writing through her remission, and those folks were there for her when her 'c' returned in September of 2007.
She leaves heartfelt words of thanks to her dear Dr. Tait(er), Meg, DeLeslie; ALL the oncology nurses at Blumenthal Cancer Center; the nurses on 11B at Charlotte Medical Center; and Debbie, Susan, Peggy and Nicole and the other special nurses in the infusion room. Thanks for allowing Bev to be herself and have fun!
A visitation will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 1510 E. 7th St., 6:00-6:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2009, followed by a celebration of joyful remembrance at 7 p.m. A worship service to celebrate Bev's life, conducted by the Rev. Lawrence Womack, the Rev. Murdock Smith and the Rev. Dee de Montmollin, will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1623 Carmel Road, at 2 p.m on Friday, August 28, 2009. The family will receive friends in the parish hall following the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Flashes of Hope, 6009 Landerhaven Drive, Suite I, Cleveland, OH 44124, or flashesofhope.org Charlotte Chapter; The First Tee of Charlotte, 2661 Barringer Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208; or Levine and Dickson Hospice House, 11900 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078.
Heritage Funeral Home - Weddington is serving the Bruce Family. Condolences may be posted online at charlotte.com.