Beverly A. Testarmata

On September 18th, 2024, we said goodbye to Beverly Testarmata, a woman as fierce as they come. She passed peacefully, surrounded by family. We already miss her dearly.

Bev was the daughter of the late Frank & Pat Villanueva of Penacook. Family members include her husband, Joel Testarmata, her daughters Kerry & Erin and their husbands Jason & Jerry, and her granddaughter, Maggay. 

Like her parents before her, Bev was an amazing chef. She worked at many restaurants, some highlights including The Centennial and the Concord Country Club in Concord, Le Méridien and the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, and Ocean Edge in Brewster MA. Bev’s love for culinary adventure was reflected in her passion for traveling the world to eat great meals. Collecting experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants was always one of her goals, and Joel loved fulfilling that for her. Food wasn’t just sustenance—it was an experience, and Bev savored every bite. Sunday dinners were a longstanding highlight that were enjoyed by countless hungry souls. In addition to cooking and eating all the food, she had many favorite things, such as visiting Cape Cod, snuggling with her cats, seeing live music (especially James Taylor at Tanglewood and Jimmy Buffet at Great Woods), foraging for mushrooms, loving and hating the Boston Red Sox, and most of all, spending time with her family. She often remarked when our family was all together, “I love our family.” Bev had a beautiful laugh and smile. Her strength, stubbornness, and drive were some of her primary qualities that taught her daughters to be hard workers, to be authentically themselves, and to never, ever settle. She loved Joel like crazy, and loved all of their 34 years of fun & adventures together. A highlight of her life was when she became a grandmother to Maggay. She adored that little one and loved her with everything she had. If you were friends with Bev, you got the best of her. The crazy, weird, caring, thoughtful Bev, who always made people feel special. She was the type of friend who showed up for you in unexpected ways, leaving you feeling seen and loved. We are treasuring every memory and message from those who are remembering Bev fondly, and love the theme of how welcoming and warm she was to everyone.

A memorial gathering will take place at Phaneuf Funeral Homes, 243 Hanover St. Manchester on Thursday, September 26th from 5 to 7PM. A private burial will take place at Saint Joseph cemetery at a later date. To view an online tribute slideshow, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.phaneuf.net. Rest easy, Bev, and thanks for teaching us all how to handle life with grit and a little bit of sass. Instead of flowers, please treat yourself to a nice buttery Chardonnay or a black truffle in honor of Bev.