Looking back on meeting Bob, those early years, working together across the globe, and their eventual 52 years of marriage, Beverly says she feels like “one of the luckiest people ever.”
“I totally loved him, and it was just great,” she says. “He got dementia at the end, and I was not going to put him in any facility. Even though I was working, I cut back on hours, and I made it the best I could for him and me.”
Bob lived with dementia for several years before he passed away in early 2020.
“When Bob would have incidents with his dementia, I put myself in his shoes. And I knew he was just scared — and who wouldn’t be — I just held him really tight, and I would just say, ‘I love you, I’ll never leave you, and I’m sorry.’ And he would calm right down,” says Beverly.
“It’s so easy if you really love someone. And I know that that was actually a good part of our life… it was just a different stage.”
In the five years since Bob’s death, Beverly has continued to thrive in the yachting business. She turns 80 this year, but she still loves her career, loves her industry.
I totally trusted him in every way. And I think when you have a partner, I think you need love — which obviously we had — trust and respect. I had all those things.
Beverly, reflecting on her life with Bob
In the mid-1960s, before she met Bob, Beverly had reservations about the institution of marriage. She’d have long conversations with her Vancouver roommate about the importance of staying independent, not being tied down in an era where marriage was still looked at through a patriarchal lens and traditional gender roles.
“We always thought of marriage as a cage,” she recalls.
But now, Beverly reflects that her marriage to Bob propelled her forward. He loved her independence, and his love gave her the foundation and anchor to explore the world and be herself, find her place.
“In our day, you could be a teacher, you could be a secretary, or you could be a nurse, basically. And that was your three choices, and I got to be something else, and with his, not only support, but encouragement,” she says. “I had that support. He always supported me.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.