Beverly Ann Chisholm Preston

Beverly Ann (Snow) Chisholm Preston

Beverly Ann (Snow) Chisholm Preston entered into rest on July 9, 2013, at Providence Everett Regional Medical Center. She was 84.
Bev was born on April 16, 1929, to Charles and
Marguerite (Mahan) Snow in Bellingham, WA. She attended schools in Bellingham and graduated in 1947 from Bellingham High School.
She married Robert Edwin Chisholm on June 11, 1948, in Bellingham. They welcomed sons, Scott, Dee and Russell before Bob died in an automobile accident on September 19, 1953.
Bev later met Edward Elmer Preston. They married on August 3, 1958, in Burlington, WA. They welcomed sons, Eric and Seth to the family, and raised all five boys in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Ed was a pharmacist who owned and operated several pharmacies, including Holland Drug Company and Skagit Valley Pharmacy in Sedro-Woolley.
Bev was active in the community. She was a member of the Soroptimists and volunteered for several activities. She also was a longtime election poll worker.
Bev and Ed moved to Bellingham in 1985. Bev took care of Ed from the day he suffered a massive stroke in February 1979 until his death on October 14, 2003.
In March 2013, she moved to Everett to live with her sister and best friend, Maridel Kemp. Bev suffered a heart attack on May 12, 2013 (Mother's Day) and on June 5, she underwent surgery to replace her aortic valve and to perform four bypasses. Despite a hard fight, she eventually died from complications from the surgery and other causes.
Bev loved telling or hearing a good joke, playing cards with family and friends, and having good conversations ("visits") with old friends, family members and even total strangers. She was an avid sports fan, especially of football, and particularly enjoyed following the University of Washington Huskies. She also loved to travel. She went on many bus tours throughout the Pacific Northwest. For several years she and Ed made an annual trip to Hawaii to meet up with cousins and friends. In later years, she made a yearly trek to Palm Springs, CA.
She had many friends and was well-loved by them and family. She was kind and polite, yet tough as nails and so strong. She did not suffer fools lightly, and she set high expectations for her family and for others.
Her doctors and nurses talked about her strength, how she had affected their lives and how kind she was to them, even as she endured her final weeks. In turn, her family would like to thank the caring professionals at Providence Everett Regional Medical Center, especially Dr. Ryan, for their compassion and their efforts to help Bev.
She is survived by her five sons, Scott of Lubbock, TX; Dee (Mary) of Bellingham; Russ of Everett; Eric (Anita) of Hamilton, OH; and Seth (Angie) of Centralia, WA; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; her sister and "roomie", Maridel of Everett; nieces, Kerry, Keely and Kyle; and too many other special cousins, relatives and dear friends to name.
The family will host a celebration of Bev's life at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the Sedro-Woolley Community Center, 703 Pacific Street. Lemley Funeral Chapel in Sedro-Woolley is helping with arrangements.
She was cremated according to her wishes and will be laid to rest in Greenacres Memorial Park in Ferndale, WA. Moles Funeral Home in Bellingham is helping with arrangements.