Beverly Joy Bovee

Beverly Joy (Donaldson) Bovee was born to Floyd and Mayda (Hoppe) Donaldson at a farm east of Webb, Iowa on January 18th, 1931. She started school at Garfield, a country school near their farm. When she was in the first grade, they moved to a farm south of Webb and she finished the first grade in Webb. In the second grade she met her husband to be (14 years later) who says he flunked the second grade the previous year to be with her.

After graduating valedictorian of her high school class, she attended the University of Northern Iowa’s teaching college where she received her teaching certificate before moving back to northwest Iowa to teach school in Cornell, Iowa. She taught fifth and sixth grades, all subjects including PE and Music. She wasn’t much older than her students.

In June 1950, she stopped teaching and married Rodney Bovee in a ceremony at the United Methodist Church in Webb. The Webb Methodist Church would be their church home for many years to come where she taught Sunday School and was a member and served as an officer for the United Methodist Women.

The couple made their home at a farm they purchased southwest of Webb. She made the old farmhouse a home by sewing curtains and papering and painting the old wanes coating. There she and Rodney started farming raising corn, oats, hay, and livestock. She was responsible for raising chickens to eat and to have eggs to sell in addition to cream from milking the cows to help pay for weekly groceries. While living at the “east place” her sons: Mike and Kal were born, and she stayed busy raising the boys and staying ahead of the growing list of chores

In 1960, they moved to the “home place” where she continued to be very active in the farm operation, helping in the farrowing house, keeping the farm books, cooking meals for the family and hired help, and sewing clothes. She prided herself for keeping a clean house and meticulous books and for being a good cook. Daughter Mary was born during this time.

The family loved fishing and the outdoors and often vacationed in Canada where they would camp at various campgrounds. It was during one of these camping trips in 1971 that a rainy day prompted Rodney and her to take a car trip to explore Lake of the Woods. Little did they know that car trip would result in the purchase of a Camp near Morson, Ontario.

Beverly and Mary moved to Canada to run “Bovee’s Camp” in 1972 while Rodney and the boys ran the farm in Iowa. After one year of this arrangement, they decided running a camp wasn’t their calling and they subdivided and sold all but one of the cabins. This experience resulted in the development of many lifetime friendships that have been enjoyed as the family has spent time at the Canada cabin over the last 54 years.

Bev worked on her bachelor’s degree several times throughout her life but in the end there was always too much work to be done on the farm for her to complete the degree. However, she was always intellectually curious and had a keen memory.

As grandchildren entered the scene, she enjoyed spending time with them and making them dolls and building doll houses. The grandkids especially enjoyed Grandma’s cooking and her special caramel nut rolls. She loved babies and when the great grandchildren arrived, she made sure all of them had handmade quilts.

In her retirement she became a Hospice volunteer in northwest Iowa and southwest Florida. In 2007 she was named volunteer of the year in Iowa.

Throughout her life she enjoyed their residences at Okoboji, Florida, and Highlands in Spencer and of course her lifetime home in Webb. She spent her last years happy and surrounded by nature at one of her favorite residences in Okoboji where she watched birds, deer, and other wildlife.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Rodney of Okoboji, IA; her sons: Mike (Gay) of Spencer, IA and their children: Brielle Bovee and Courtney Bovee (Steve Williams); Kal (Barb) of Webb, IA and their children: Leslie Lenzo (Justin) and Jason Bovee (Natasha); her daughter, Mary Lawyer (Bruce Bowman) and their child, Remington Lawyer (Leslie); her great grandchildren: Marcello, Matteo, Niccolò, Giovanni Paolo Lenzo; Fiona, Tristan, Aurora Bovee and Walker Lawyer; other relatives and friends.

As Bev always requested,

“Let the Lord grant us

All a grateful heart.”

In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be directed to Spencer Hospital Hospice.