Tuesday, April 6, 2021 5:50 am

ROCHESTER - Beverly Jean De Smith (nee Wheeler) died at the age of 87 on April 3, 2021, at home in Rochester. Known as Bev to her many friends and family, she lived the majority of her adult life in West Simsbury, Conn., where she raised a family of 5 boys. Born in Rochester N.Y., Beverly graduated from the University of Rochester where she met her husband, Robert De Smith. They were married in Rochester on December 1954. Shortly after their marriage, Beverly moved to Barcelona, Spain, with her husband who was an officer on a sixth fleet ship. Their first son, Steven (now deceased), was born in Barcelona. Following her husband's service, she and the family lived in Webster N.Y. for several years, where Robert was employed with General Dynamics Electronics. Three more boys arrived during their stay in Webster, resulting in the family moving to a larger house in Irondequoit, N.Y. While living in Irondequoit, Beverly was active in church activities and was a member of the church choir.
In 1968, the family moved to West Simsbury, Conn., where Beverly's husband was hired as a program manager with United Technologies, Hamilton Standard Division. While raising a family that had now grown to five sons, Beverly still found time to assume leadership positions in community activities. She was a founding member of the Simsbury Youth Hockey League and was instrumental in the development of the Town's first artificial skating rink. She also was a founding member of the Simsbury Community TV station, serving as President for many years.
Beverly is survived by her husband and children David William De Smith of Natick, Mass., Gary Robert De Smith of Rochester, N.H., and Matthew Hilles De Smith of Torrington Conn., and six grandchildren. She was predeceased by two sons, Steven and Thomas.