Beverly Clark Conley, 71, from Kingwood, passed into the open arms of her Savior, Jesus, on March 8, 2023, at home with her family. Beverly was born on Jan. 29, 1952, the oldest child of Miles Gene and Goldie Maxine Clark, of Manown.
Beverly initially attended Howesville Elementary School and later graduated from Kingwood High School on Friday, June 13, 1969. She had already completed one year of college credits at Fairmont State College prior to beginning her fall semester. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in math education in May 1972. That summer and the subsequent two summers were spent teaching at Camp D.A.V.E. in outdoor education. In the fall of 1972, she moved to Elkins (Crystal Springs), where she began teaching at the junior high level. The following year, she moved to Kingwood and taught math and science at Bruceton High School for one year. She then was transferred to Masontown High School, teaching math until June 1978. By attending night classes, she obtained her master’s degree in math education from West Virginia University in 1976.
Beverly thought of herself as a “Renaissance Woman,” often recreating herself over her lifetime. She was a woman of many talents, with a particular fondness for children and our veterans. Over the years, she taught childbirth classes for 12 years while rearing four children. She later taught night math classes for Fairmont State College and the Kennedy Center. She started an ecumenical youth program at the Wesley United Methodist Church, beginning with four children. Eight years later, the group had nearly 70 youths. She loved talking to children about God and her faith in Jesus. She attended and taught Christian education classes at the St. Sebastian Catholic Church. For 12 years, she took carloads of children (later a busload) to Ichthus, a Christian music festival in Wilmore, Ky.
She was an avid tennis player and served as the coach for the Preston High School tennis team. In 2001, she began training to become a U.S.T.A. tennis line judge. In 2005, after being a college line judge, she was asked to begin calling lines at the US Open in New York, where she participated for nine years. (One highlight was nearly being struck by Andre Agassi’s racket. He later gave her a big hug, witnessed by thousands of people on ESPN.) She was an active participant in the Preston County Buckwheat Festival, having produced the Buckwheat Festival Program Book for 22 years. Her involvement with county veterans included developing a special Veteran’s Program in 2000 and participating in Mainstreet Kingwood’s project of a Veterans’ Memorial Plaza at the courthouse.
Beverly had the distinct ability to design and coordinate special events. She, not only planned weddings for her four daughters and many other friends, but designed multiple gala events over the years for Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital. She was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, where she served as the chairperson for the design committee. She designed and provided floral arrangements for the Buckwheat Festival Queen’s Banquet the last few years.
She is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, Fred Conley, and four daughters: Shannon Conley (husband Bryan), of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; Colleen Beck, of Pittsburgh; Maureen Durst (husband Eric), of Aurora; and Bridget Pierson (husband Brad), of Maumee, Ohio. She has nine grandchildren, which were the absolute love of her life: Collins Conley, Ashton Conley, Bella Beck, Bonnie Beck, Evie Durst, Gwen Durst, Jacob Durst, Owen Pierson and Liam Pierson. She is also survived by her mother, Maxine Clark and three siblings: Terry Clark (wife Kim), of Fayetteville, Ga.; Brenda Armstead, of Casselberry, Fla.; and Melinda Black, of Pottstown, Pa. She was preceded in death by her father, Miles Gene Clark, on April 16, 2020.
Friends may call at Kingwood Funeral Home, 295 S. Price St., from 4-8 p.m., on Friday, March 10, and at Wesley United Methodist Church, from 10-11 a.m., the funeral hour, on Saturday, March 11, with the Rev. Jonathan Nettles and Father Dominic Athishu officiating. Interment will follow at Maplewood Cemetery.
Memorial donations can be made to the Wesley United Methodist Church, 107 West High St., Kingwood, WV 26537, or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.
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www.kingwoodfuneralhomewv.com
