February 15, 1930 – December 19, 2023

Born in Vernon, B.C., Bev was the third child born to Cleophos & Catherine Bessette. She spent her younger years in Lumby, B.C. The family moved to Kamloops, BC when Bev was a teen.

After graduating from Kamloops High School, she continued her studies in Montreal at McGill University, graduating in 1952. That same year, she married her high school sweetheart, Don. They settled in Kamloops, where they raised five children.

Bev’s love of animals, especially cats, led her to establish the Kamloops and District Human Society in the early 1990s. Bev also supported numerous children’s charities, which also included decades of child sponsorship.

Bev was a strong woman; intelligent, kind, compassionate, and oh so stubborn! And we loved her with all our hearts. She passed peacefully in her beloved Valleyview home.

Bev was predeceased by her husband, parents, two sisters (Betty & Muriel), and great-granddaughter (Brighton).

Bev is survived by her children Jim (Marie-Claude), Terry (Christine), Doug (Tracey), Michael (Kirsten), & Laurie (John) and by her grandchildren David (Lindsay), Sarah (A.J.), Steven, Adam, and Dustin (Lexie), and great-grandchildren Audrey, Oliver, Lochlan, and Briar, also by her “other daughter” Marge (Lyle).

Many thanks to Nattaly, Angela, and John for their loving care and attention to Bev’s needs through her later years. We are eternally grateful for the joy and comfort you brought her.

If you wish, please make a donation to your favorite charity (Bev would love that).

You may offer a message of condolence at Schoening Funeral Service for the Marriott family.

• Date : 2023-12-19
• Location : Kamloops