Obituary of Beverly Bretthauer

Beverly Thrall (Beach) Bretthauer, 91, formerly of Orange, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2018 at Brookdale Woodbridge Senior Living. She was born May 26, 1927 in Waterbury, CT to the late William and Elizabeth (Potter) Beach and grew up in Litchfield. She and her late husband, Walter, moved to Brookdale in December 2016. She was predeceased by her brother, Reverend Roger L. Beach, and is survived by her three loving sons, David Bretthauer (Pingsheng Chen) of Worcester, MA, Fred Bretthauer (Colleen Sprague Bretthauer) of Hebron, CT, and Jerry Bretthauer (Holly Bretthauer) of Orange, CT; as well as grandchildren Benjamin Marshall Bretthauer of Hebron, CT, Emily Jane Bretthauer and Grace Beverly Bretthauer of Orange, CT, and step-grandson Dr. Kevin Dong Han (Sara Oles Han) of Scottsdale, AZ.

Beverly graduated from University of Vermont in 1949, and earned her Master of Nursing from Yale School of Nursing in 1954. In later life, her love of learning continued, as she studied Ancient Greek to better understand the Bible, and then Chinese to better know her newest family members.

If you ever met Beverly, you will remember her smile. It was wide, bright and reached her eyes, spreading joy to those near her. It was always accompanied by a giggle which bubbled up in the presence of family, friends, and at Beach/Webster family reunions. This unique and joyful smile was also shared through her position as a Registered Nurse in the New Haven public schools and Yale New Haven Hospital. She loved babies and worked in the newborn care unit, helping new mothers adjust to caring for their newborns. Beverly spent many hours and days with her grandchildren as infants, assisting her sons and their wives.
Her life was committed to service as a pediatric nurse, member of the Christ and the Epiphany Church of East Haven, and her most prized profession as daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother. She adored being surrounded by family at “The Lake House” which she, Walter, David, Fred, and Jerry built, often sleeping in a small shelter which the house was later built around! She was humble, never accepting praise for her accomplishments. Her lifelong love of music was a constant, and she could be heard playing hymns at the Steinway in the dining room.

Family will receive friends from 8:30 – 10:40 a.m. on Friday, December 14, 2018 at the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home (Clancy Funeral Home) 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven. Her funeral procession will leave the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home at 10:50 a.m. for a Funeral Service at 11 a.m. in Christ and the Epiphany Church, 39 Park Place, East Haven with burial to follow at Orange Cemetery, Orange CT. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Beverly Bretthauer’s name to Alzheimer’s Association at http://alz.org