Beverly Jeanne Sayre

1927 - 2014

Dodge City - Beverly Jeanne (Noeller) Sayre, 87, died July 10, 2014 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence. She was born on February 7, 1927 in Wichita, the daughter of Reid and Thelma (Lochmann) Noeller. She married Marlo Merle Sayre in New York City on March 8, 1945.
 
She graduated from Dodge City High School in 1944. Afterward, she worked as a telephone operator before meeting her future husband, Merle, at a dance. At the time, Merle was a Merchant Marine sailing from the eastern coast. The two were wed at Christ Methodist Church on Park Avenue in New York City.
 
Bev returned to work as a receptionist for Dodge City High School in 1973 before transitioning to the Business Office at Dodge City Community College in 1975. Five years later, she began a thirteen-year tenure as director of Dodge City Head Start, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to early childhood development and education. There, she was elected to the National Head Start Association's Board of Directors and bestowed the National Award for Excellence in Management (1994). Beverly held offices in the Kansas Head Start Directors Association (Region VII) and the National Head Start Directors Association. She was also appointed a Johnson & Johnson Executive Management Fellow. Following her retirement, she performed grant writing for Head Start Expansion and served as a consultant to Head Start directors in a four-state area.
 
Blessed with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Bev loved her family and cherished her time with them. She enjoyed playing card games, painting, singing, and swing-dancing. She was also an avid fan of KU basketball.
 
In Dodge City, she belonged to the First United Methodist Church, and served on various committees including chairman of the Board of Trustees. She was a  member of the United Methodist Women Circles (Number IV). Additionally, she served as a trustee at Dodge City Community College. Bev eventually moved to Lawrence, where she joined the Southside Church of Christ.
 
Survivors include: two children, Dana (Sayre) Tieperman, Lawrence, Kansas, and Brett and his wife Stephanie, Lawrence; four grandsons, Tyson Tieperman and his wife Brooke, Denver, Colorado, Brandon Sayre and his wife, Amanda, Lenexa, Kansas, Nicholas Sayre and his wife, Lindsay, Lawrence, and Marshall Sayre, Lawrence; three great-grandsons, Bowen and Kippen Tieperman, and Luke Sayre; and Star, her poodle. She was preceded in death by her husband, Merle Sayre, and her grandson, Seth Tieperman.
 
Funeral service will be held at Swaim Funeral Home in Dodge City on Monday, July 14, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. with Rev. Dick Robbins presiding.  Burial will follow at Ensign Cemetery in Ensign.  Visitation will be at Swaim Funeral Home on Sunday, July 13, 2014 from Noon to 6:00 P.M. with the family receiving friends from noon to 3:00 P.M..  Memorials are suggested to the Southside Church of Christ in care of the funeral home.  Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.