Beverly J. Arthur, 91, Des Moines

Beverly Jean Arthur, of Des Moines, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2024, at the age of 91. Many of her children and grandchildren and their spouses were able to be with her during her last moments.

Beverly Jean Slater was born on July 11, 1933 in Des Moines, the daughter of Harold Burr and Edna Lorraine (Sudbrook) Slater. She spent her early years on the family farm near Mitchellville before moving to Newton, where she attended Newton High School.

In December 1949 she married Forest Duane Jackson. They had two children, Martin and Meridee. After Forest's death, she married Richard Paul Bricker in 1955 and the family moved to Spencer. It was there that their daughter Margaret ("Micki") was born.

When that marriage ended, she married Lonnie Arthur and acquired two new sons, Calvin and Charles, and a daughter, Kimberly. The blended family moved to Hartley in 1961, where daughters Julie and Jodi were born. In 1969, they moved to Boone. During most of her marriages, Bev's primary occupation was housewife. She was a skilled seamstress, making many of the girls' dresses. She also learned woodworking and upholstery, and renovated several houses. When Lon had to take early retirement because of disability, Bev opened a yarn shop in their historic Boone home. Later, she supported the family by painting and wallpapering other people's houses and businesses.

After Lon's death, Bev enrolled at Iowa State University, pursuing a degree in English. During her first semester there, she took a writing course taught by Lee Hadley. Lee's comments on every piece Bev wrote was "Get it published!" Her first article was published in Single Parent magazine. When she submitted an article to The Des Moines Register, it came to the notice of John Karras, who became another mentor, publishing several of her articles in the newspaper's Sunday Picture magazine. When she couldn't place one article, Lee said, "Turn it into a book." She and her son Martin then co-authored the book "Mama's Boy."

Bev took a break from college in 1982 to spend six months in England, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Before she left, Karras asked her to chronicle her experiences for the Register in a series called "Runaway Mom." She made many lifelong friends on this and subsequent trips. After she returned, she resumed her work as a painter and paperer while also looking for a publisher for "Mama's Boy," which was finally published in 1986. After selling her house in Boone, she resumed her studies at Iowa State, graduating in 1990.

She had decided that she wanted to teach in an alternative school, and taught at the Des Moines South Alternative School until her retirement. She enjoyed working with students who had not fit into the regular school system, encouraging them to read and to express themselves in writing.

After her retirement in 1998, Bev moved in with her daughter Julie's family in West Des Moines, where she lived for the next 24 years. During that time she took up quilting, making many beautiful quilts for family and friends. She also continued to travel, sometimes with one or more of her children, but often just to visit them or friends she had made throughout her life. For the last three years she lived at 3801 Grand in Des Moines, where she made many new friends.

Bev is survived by her children: Cal Arthur, Martin Arthur, Meridee (Gene) Brown, Kim (Dennis) Borwick, Micki Bush, Julie (Mark) Pierce and Jodi (Randy) Eubank; 14 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, all three of her husbands, her son Charlie Arthur, sister Carol (Bob) Barker, and infant great-grandchild Fallon Rose Cortum.