Beryl Anna "Kelly" Greer

Beryl Anna “Kelly” Greer went home to our Heavenly Father on December 30, 2022. She was 97 years young. She passed peacefully surrounded by the love of her family, and thanks to the wonderful Dr. Krull and nurses at Jefferson Healthcare.

Beryl Anna Kelly Greer was born to Thomas and Bessie Kelley on August 30, 1925 in Akron, Ohio. She was an only child. Her mother died early in childbirth when Beryl was about 5 years old. Her Dad remarried to Mary Margaret King.

Beryl married Charles Theodore McKibben and they had five children; Charles Theodore Jr. “Teddy” (deceased), Margaret Anna “Peggy” (spouse Edward Cutcher), Thomas Edward “Tommy” (spouse Nellie (deceased), Paul David “David” (spouse Martha), and Cheryl Lynne “Lulu” (spouse Alexander).

Beryl is survived by four of her children, twelve grandchildren, twenty-three great grandchildren and ten great-great grandchildren.

Beryl grew up in the depression years and after high school and during World War II went to work for BF Goodrich to support the war effort. Beryl was a “Real Rosie The Riveter” being of small stature she was tasked with riveting in the smallest of spaces. When she didn’t walk the long distance to work, she rode her Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Beryl was a real looker. She loved to jitterbug and Linde hop with her two best friends, Beryl and Betty. Beryl was always the designated driver when they went out dancing and only drank orange juice.

She traveled with the carnival where Charles worked, and for a time shared driving semi-truck with him.

Shortly after the birth of her youngest child Cheryl in 1952, Charles abandoned the family, as alcohol got the better of him. He left Beryl with five babies, all under the age of six.

She returned home to her father and step-mother’s home and they helped her raise the children, until she remarried a fellow named Ralph Greer some ten years later. She struggled at labor jobs to try to help put food on the table. She worked for many years in a factory operating a fast-paced machine that made plastic toys for children. The working conditions were horrid. She had to keep pace with a machine or lose an arm. The plant was freezing in the winter and sweltering in the humid Ohio summers.

She lived an hours’ drive from the plant on a 200 acre dairy farm with Ralph and four of her children. The farm was self-sustaining and a lot of hard work. Many summers were spent canning and gardening after her long work day. Winters were a rough commute in the cold long icy winters of Ohio.

After the children were all grown, Ralph and Beryl left the farm. They downsized and bought a restaurant. Beryl ran the restaurant and was the chief chef. She was renowned for her great pies! She was a fabulous cook.

She divorced Ralph in 1987, and ventured out into the world driving her truck and pulling a camper. She settled in Arizona for a time at the Grand Canyon and worked in the gift shop selling jewelry. She then traveled back to Ohio and then to Washington settling on the Skagit River with her 100 pound Chow-Golden lab “Wooley Bear.” Or “The Bear Man” as she called him, her soul mate. For a brief time when she was 72 years old she went to work for The Boeing Company in the cafeteria, but decided the commute from Everett to Concrete was too much.

Thinking she had roamed enough she settled with her daughter Cheryl in Washington, and then one day when 83 said “I’m moving to Texas, “Don’t try to stop me.” And off she went to be near her old friend Beryl whose husband had died of cancer. After 3 years in Texas, she returned to Washington with her new side kick Miss Nikki Belle. She and daughter Cheryl took trips to Maui, went on a cruise to Alaska. The highlight for her cruise was dog-sledding and holding the new puppies. It seemed she really had settled when she announced one day, when she was 93 “I’m moving to Maui.” “Don’t try to stop me.” So, again off she roamed. She really enjoyed Maui, but decided to return to Washington at 94 where she lived until her passing.

Beryl was a very gentle, peaceful person. Nothing showy, or rough, or rude about her. She was very humble. A great listener and friend. She had a lot of wisdom and insight into the human condition. She was a devout Christian and had no doubts about life after death. She was very spiritual and was proud of being “part” Native American. She was a cowgirl and a country girl at heart. She loved Country Music, and even travelled to Mikey Gilly’s in Missouri. She loved the old Gospel songs and made sure her grandkids attended Sunday school, or at least the ones that were living with her that she helped to raise. She loved babies and animals. She was a very sacrificing and hardworking individual who would did things “well,” and would go the extra mile to help others. She was very comfortable to be around and easy to sit with in total silence. Her home was warm and inviting and neat as a pin. She loved her Cowboy movies and could watch them over and over again. It didn’t matter to her that she could have recited the lines. She appreciated the values and morals depicted and exampled in the Westerns that paralleled her own. She did not like profanity and was only known to occasionally say “Ah, shit!” But, then you knew that she was really disgusted, or frustrated. She was a great story teller and people loved to listen to her tales, which were based on own her life experiences.

Everyone who knew her that spent any time around her became very fond of her as she was so kind, so gracious and so full of grace and love that she was easy to trust. People always confided in her and sought her counsel. She always encouraged others to “Look on the bright side!” She was a great example of how to just be a good human being. Beryl, friend, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother will be sorely missed. She had a good run. She had great health up until she was about 95 when she battled kidney cancer. She survived that and had another really good year. She gave up driving because the walker was too heavy. She was mentally clear to the very end. A beautiful long life and a beautiful and peaceful passing at 97 years old into the arms of Jesus. She looked forward to seeing her “Momma” as soon as she entered the Pearly Gates. A good woman who now gets to receive her glory in the eternal love of heaven. God speed Beryl Anna “Kelly.” Until we meet again! We Love You now and Forever.

Service is at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hill 409 Filbert Rd. Lynnwood, WA 98036 on January 6, 2023, Chapel viewing at 11:00 with Gravesite Burial at 12:00.