Beverly Nell Barrett

Beverly Nell Barrett, beloved wife, mother, and nurse, died peacefully on January 14, 2026 surrounded by family.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 18, 1946, Beverly grew up in a close-knit family of five children. As the daughter of a career Air Force officer, she and her siblings were exceptionally well traveled, living in Japan, Virginia, England, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, California, Alaska, and Massachusetts. In 1984, Beverly settled in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she made her home for the remainder of her life.
Bev attended nursing school in Yonkers, New York, and devoted fifty years to the nursing profession before retiring in 2016. To her, nursing was more than a career - it was a calling. Throughout decades of service, she provided comfort, dignity, and compassion to countless patients and families, quietly shouldering the emotional weight of the profession with grace and strength. She touched more lives in a week than many do in a lifetime.
Beverly was preceded in death by her father, Lt. Col. Ernst E. Jahnke; her mother, Mary Nelle Jahnke; and her brother, Robert Jahnke. She is survived by her beloved husband, Dick Barrett; her daughters, Audra "Muffy" Bennett (Gary) and Gina Kaiser (Jason); her grandchildren, Jaina and Maddie; her brothers, Tom (Mary) and Christopher (Heidi); and her sister, Jerrie.
Lovingly referred to as the "Daughter of the Phantom of Delight," she was a kind, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate woman whose life's work was caring for others. She touched countless lives - professionally and personally - and her absence will be felt profoundly by all who knew her.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a Parkinson's or Alzheimer's research charity of the donor's choosing.
A private service will be held.