Beverly Ann Florang

BEVERLY FLORANG Beverly Ann (Beckwith) Florang passed away Aug. 6, 2025, in St. George, Utah. She was 92. Beverly was born Dec. 9, 1932, in San Francisco to Ella Gertrude (Provis) and Lawrence Beckwith, both native Californians. She was the youngest child of Ella and Lawrence, joining Lawrence Jr., Gladys Eleanor and Shirlee Louise. Beverly spent her earliest years in Middletown and Berkeley, Calif., before the family moved to San Leandro, Calif., in 1937 and then to San Diego, just prior to the outbreak of World War II. She attended Kearney High School, where she sang in the chorus, dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, and exhibited an artistic flair that she cultivated the rest of her life, through sketching, oil painting, batiking and other art forms whenever household demands permitted. Though she never fulfilled that early desire to be a veterinarian, Beverly maintained a love of animals that in later years kept Florang households populated variously with dogs, cats, birds, pigs, pet rats, horses, chickens, ducks, and goats, depending on circumstances. Not long after her 18th birthday, at the suggestion of a friend, she agreed to a blind date with a sailor stationed in San Diego attending Fleet Sonar School. Something must have clicked with this handsome young man from Iowa, because after several weeks of dating, she married Donald Dean Florang on March 31, 1951, in El Cajon, Calif. Over the next 15 years, as a Navy wife, she traveled extensively, with stops in Guam, Japan, the Philippines, Indian Head and District Heights, Md., and Mayport, Fla. However, San Diego always served as home base between those far-flung duty stations. With her husband frequently at sea for long periods, Beverly often managed the logistics of moving as well as the day-to-day activities and demands of the entire family, which included three children, Kathy Lynn, Donald Dean Jr., and Brian Craig, by late 1959. Her management of family affairs often took place in foreign lands under difficult circumstances. On her own, Beverly managed multiple household moves and trans-Pacific shipboard journeys all while supplying the love and discipline required in caring for her three children. After Navy life came to a close in 1966, Beverly and family lived in suburban San Diego until 1968, moving then to nearby Ramona, Calif., where a semi-rural setting gave rise to a menagerie that included a variety of farm animals. The family then moved to Half Moon Bay, Calif., to help her sister Shirlee and family run a corporate-owned ranching operation. The following year, after the ranch was sold, it was back to Ramona. After several more years in a growing Ramona, Beverly and Don, by then empty nesters, found their rural bliss in Monroe, Utah. There, they developed many close friendships and joined the LDS church. Beverly worked several years as a teacher's aide in the elementary school and eventually decided to fill the nest again. She and Don adopted two children, Sarah Ann and Steven Leo, in 1981. Over the next few years, the family shuttled between Ramona and Monroe as the economic demands of raising a new family dictated. By 1994, Beverly and Don were again empty nesters. At this time Beverly developed an interest in Native American culture and volunteered at the Fremont Indian State Park Museum. She learned and studied this culture, eventually becoming an honorary member of the Lenape tribe. Don and Beverly spent several more years in their beloved "English cottage" in Monroe, until the couple's health concerns prompted their final move to St. George to be close to their daughter Kathy. In their 74 years together, the couple moved more than 60 times. Beverly is survived by her husband, Donald; five children, Kathy Callahan (Paul) of St. George, Donald Jr. (Linda Fogarty) of Ranchita, Calif., Brian Craig of Hinckley, Utah, Sarah Ann Kestersen (Neil) of Henderson, Nev., and Steven Leo; 8 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and grandson, Robert Florang. The family would like to thank the staff at Oasis Senior Living for the kindness they showed her these last six months. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to your favorite charity. Graveside Services will be held at the Monroe Cemetery, Monroe, Utah on Saturday, September 20th at 11:00 am. Family and friends are invited to share tributes online at www.SerenityStG.com.