Beverly Berdene Hart's Obituary
Beverly Berdene (Brown) Hart of Corydon passed away peacefully on March 5, 2024, at the age of 97. She was born on December 22, 1926, in Creston, Iowa to Lawrence "Shorty" and Mary (Bevins) Brown.
Beverly spent her early years near Tingley, Iowa and moved as a teen with her parents to Wayne County where she graduated from Cambria High School in 1944. She earned a teaching certificate from Simpson College and taught at a country school and primary grades at Millerton.
Beverly married James Kenneth Hart on May 25, 1948 and they raised three children Bill, Betty, and Gary on the farm northeast of Corydon where the couple made their home for 54 years. Beverly helped Kenneth with his scrap metal business and loved scouring through the scrap piles looking for usable treasures and trinkets. She attended nearby Bethel Church until it closed.
After Kenneth's death in 2002, Beverly moved into Corydon and was active in the Corydon Christian Church. She kept busy by joining the garden club, volunteering at the museum, and listening to readers at the elementary. She also enjoyed line dancing at jam sessions she attended with her friends and brothers.
Beverly's greatest love was gardening. She would spend hours looking through seed catalogs for the perfect variety, starting seedlings in the windowsills, and tending to her plants in the garden. She won countless ribbons at the county fair for her vegetables, flowers, and baked goods, even into her 90s. After moving to town, she downsized her garden but was still able to get an amazing amount of produce. Beverly also enjoyed sewing and was known throughout the family for her ability to mend a pair of worn-out jeans or make an old coat new again with a fresh zipper.
Beverly was preceded in death by her parents, husband Kenneth, and three brothers Robert, Richard, and Dwight Brown.She is survived by her children Bill (Karen Pierce) Hart of Cedar Rapids, Betty (Mike) Abel of Allerton, and Gary (Derith Vogt) Hart of Center Junction, grandchildren Chris (Sara) Moore and Lindsey (Danny) Westphal, step-grandchildren Brian (Lisa) Moore, Sondra Moore, and Abbey Woodward, eleven great grandchildren, and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.
Funeral services will be at 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Thomas Funeral Home in Corydon. Interment will immediately follow at Corydon Cemetery. Visitation will be an hour prior to the service from Noon to 1:00 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the LeCompte Memorial Library or Prairie Trails Museum and condolences may be shared at www.thomasfh.com or facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome.
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