Beverly Jean

Reich

Beverly Jean Conner Burke Reich

Beverly Jean Reich died Nov. 14, 2025, at her home in Brookings with her sons around her and the sound of ocean waves outside her window. She was 86.

Bev was born Jan. 23, 1939, in Fresno, California, to Herbert and Rosella Chapman Conner. She was joined about 18 months later by her sister Joyce and they shared a lifetime bond of affection and adventure that is the heart of sisterhood. Their parents divorced and the girls spent time in the care of their grandmother.

In October 1947 they traveled on a military transport ship with their stepmother Mabel to Hawaii where Herbert and Mabel worked for the civil service. Bev recalled being seasick the whole five-day trip and glad to see land at the end. She loved living in Hawaii, though.

As a girl, Bev liked dolls, pretty dresses and having her hair curled, but she also enjoyed tomboy activities. She scampered up coconut trees and climbed a mango tree in the yard to harvest fruit and perch in the branches with a book to read. She loved exploring tidepools, spending whole days at the water's edge, snacking on opihi — salty little limpets plucked from the rocks — instead of going home for lunch.She dived from cliffs for change from tourists and body surfed.

She returned to California when she was a junior in high school and soon met a handsome Navy medical corpsman, Lewis Burke, at a dance. They married March 24, 1956, when she was just 17. Bev always wanted a large and loving family and she gave birth to seven sons in rapid succession: Lewis, Derek, Joe, Shawn, Jeff, Gary, and Scott Three preceded her in death: Lewis and Derek who died in a fire in January 1962 when they were 4 and 3, and Gary, who died shortly after birth in 1963.

After Bev and Lewis divorced in 1973, she supported her family by working as a waitress. She would sometimes work multiple shifts at different restaurants in a single day. She worked her way up from coffee shops to fine dining and was a customer favorite wherever she went. She never had a driver's license, but that didn't slow her down.

She married Leroy Reich Dec. 16, 1979, in Citrus Heights, California. When he retired from his job as a warehouseman at the Sacramento Army Depot, the couple hit the road to find the perfect place to retire and a little fun on their way to that spot. They settled in Brookings in 1993 and all four sons came to live in Brookings for some time.

Bev loved working in the yard, planting flowers, building decorative fences, and collecting all sorts of garden gnomes, bird houses and feeders, statues, trinkets, and whimsical signs. She and Roy even won an award for their yard.

She had a flair for decorating inside the home, too, and collected objects that held history and brought her joy. She was always happy to share family stories and liked teaching her grandkids Hawaiian and German words.

Bev loved gathering with family and friends for holidays and football games. She was a lifelong 49ers fan. She enjoyed listening to music and loved to hula. She cared for a long line of pets over the years.

She was preceded in death by her husband Roy. She is survived by Joe Burke and Aleta Mankamyer of Brookings; Shawn and Veronica Burke of Post Falls, Idaho; Jeff Burke of Brookings; Scott and Anita Burke of Medford; and granddaughters Jassminne, Citlaly, and Shawna; Her sister, Joyce Bosworth, of Montana and a nephew Joe, two nieces Cheryl and Caroline, and their extended families also survive her.

A Memorial Service for Beverly Jean Reich will be held a 1 pm on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 401 Fir Street, Brookings, Oregon. Vicar Bernie Lindley will officiate.