Obituary - Beverly Tessler Gary

Beverly Tessler Gary, born February 9, 1924, passed away peacefully on September 19 at her residence at Sholom Gardens (formerly Beth Sholom Gardens) in Henrico County, Virginia, at age 99. She was predeceased by her parents, Louis and Cecelia Tessler, her brother Stanley (Sonny) Tessler, and her husband, Leon Gary (who died in 1963). Beverly is survived by her four children: Cecelia Rosenberg (John), Rabbi Judy Gary Brown, VMD (Mike Brown, MD), Louis Gary (Judy), and Arthur Gary (Bernard Welt). She is also survived by four grandchildren: Alex Rosenberg (Jessica), Will Rosenberg, Sadie Gary and Eli Gary; and two great-grandchildren, Melanie and Audrey Rosenberg. For many admiring nieces and nephews, Beverly was their last surviving aunt.

Pieced together from varying accounts, Beverly’s parents arrived in the U.S. separately in the early 1900s – on either side of World War I - her father from Romania-Hungary and her mother from Hungary. Beverly was born in Rockaway Beach, NY (Queens) and lived most of her childhood in a house at the beach that her parents rented out in summertime to help make ends meet during the Depression. Sundays were spent with aunts, uncles and cousins, with kids at the movies while the old folks schmoozed and cooked. As a girl, Beverly would go into “the city” for clothing [Editor’s note: Oh, the shopping! The shopping bug bit Beverly early on and never relented until recently when she could no longer see what the racks held…] and to Radio City twice a year for the Easter and Christmas shows. In winter she would go ice skating in Riis Park.

Her father had a plumbing and heating business but died suddenly just before her 18th birthday. Her mother moved the family from the beach to Boro Park, Brooklyn - eventually she remarried and moved back to the beach with Beverly’s kid brother (by 13 years) Marty. Now young adults, Beverly and Sonny stayed in Boro Park as Sonny went into the Air Force. After the war, Sonny married his wife Freda and they, along with Beverly, moved together to East Rockaway on Long Island. As a young woman working as a bookkeeper in Manhattan (43rd & Lex, at companies associated with the clothing / ’shmatta’ business), she loved to eat at the Automat (which she proudly showed her kids on New York trips before the Automat was gone) and to buy roasted chestnuts from peddlers on her occasional Bloomingdale shopping runs.

As a young working woman, Beverly found time for fun with her girlfriends, often taking Marty along for the evening (much to the delight of all). There was sometimes a boyfriend in the picture, though she never shared the details! She took summer trips to the Catskills and once on her own to the Poconos, where she met a gaggle of boys from Richmond. She had such a good time that in May 1954 she arranged a stop in Richmond to be shown around by the boys. One of the guys whom she dated a few times found a local girlfriend and ultimately fixed her up with his pal Leon Gary. This was a blind date that “took” – amusingly enough by means of a date to walk the golf course while Leon played. The date succeeded and led to a series of holiday weekends, with phone calls and correspondence (eventually love letters!) in between. On a subsequent visit to Richmond, Leon picked her up at the airport and asked her how she liked Richmond – after which he proposed. They married in January 1955 and set up house in Richmond.

Cecelia came along in February 1956, and the triplets Judy, Louis & Arthur followed in 1958. Beverly always said she wanted four kids but because she had ‘started late’ she was content to stop at two. And then… surprise wish fulfillment! Tragically, Leon suffered a fatal heart attack in 1963 at age 40, after only 8 years of marriage. Beverly picked up the pieces and raised the four kids in what can only be described as an amazing, driven, organized, and purposeful manner – with the help of the large extended Gary family in Richmond & Silver Spring MD.

Beverly soon went to work full time, taught the kids to cook and clean, and sent all four to U.VA (no doubt because of her influence they all went on to graduate schools and careers). Home life centered on weekly Shabbos dinner (without fail, every week), often with Aunt Sadie Gary in attendance, Chanukah parties with the many aunts & uncles (complete with latkes and gambling!), seders and many other holiday dinners. And she kept a kosher home—no small achievement in Richmond in the 1960s-70s! She also found a way to take the kids to the theater in Richmond and on trips away – to Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Washington, New York City & Long Island, and a memorable family trip to Marty’s in Denver.

Beverly fully supported the kids’ separate interests and directions (though not without comment or full-on attempts to influence) and always kvelled at all their accomplishments. She also kept shopping: she had an unparalleled knack for finding beautiful clothes (and shoes – oy, the shoes) at rock-bottom prices. This was probably her only true hobby: nobody else could walk away from a sale with full confidence that they’d eventually snag the deal at the lowest possible price!

Beverly retired at age 65 after many years managing the professional practice of professors of psychiatry, surgery and dentistry at MCV/VCU. In retirement she took up tennis and took cruises and traveled a bit, living a good retirement until her physical health started to falter. She sold her beloved condo and moved into Beth Sholom Gardens in 2009, and enjoyed a dozen+ years before losing her ability to walk and eventually her vision. She enjoyed family visits most of all, right up till the end. She leaves an indelible imprint on her kids and grandchildren, and lasting memories with all who knew her.

A graveside ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Richmond Beth El Cemetery Chapel, 4000 Pilots Lane, Richmond, VA 23222. Donations in her memory can be made to Beth Sholom (bethsholomliving.org), the charitable survivor of Beth Sholom Gardens recent sale. Ceremony will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.