Beverly Jean Serr

Beverly Jean Serr, age 86, got her wish for Jesus to come and get her, on November 17, at Ascension Providence Health Center. A memorial service is planned over the Christmas holidays at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Boerne, Texas, with Pastor Mariola Bergquist officiating. An interment of ashes will be held at a later time at Clarion Lutheran Cemetery, near La Moille, Illinois. Beverly was born on December 25, 1934, a Christmas gift from God to Harold and Laura (Schlesinger) Wenzel. Beverly was joined later by her only sibling, her sister Shirley. They grew up together on a farm in Dimmick Township, near LaSalle-Peru, Illinois. As the older sister, Beverly became the one most accustomed to helping her dad with the farm chores, surely one of the early experiences that produced her love of work and her self-confidence. She attended LaSalle-Peru High School, where she excelled as a student and played on the girls’ basketball team. After high school, she became the first person in her family line to attend college, enrolling at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where Beverly earned good grades and made many friends. One of those friends, Earnest L. Serr, a student at Capital’s Trinity Lutheran Seminary, became the love of her life. They were married on June 10, 1956, and moved to Cullom, Illinois, the first church in their ministry. They welcomed their first and only child, Brian, on December 16, 1958. They later moved to Schapvillle, Illinois (“population: 49 people, 52 dogs,” proclaimed a sign at the edge of the one-gravel-road town), and then close to Mendota, Illinois, where the young family lived across the rural blacktop road from the Clarion Lutheran Church and Cemetery. Within a few years, Beverly became the kindergarten teacher in nearby La Moille, Illinois, a position she poured herself into for over 25 years, becoming a beloved and respected member of both the Clarion and La Moille communities. Beverly took all her endeavors seriously, whether parenting, or teaching, or serving within her husband’s various churches, or pursuing hobbies like sewing and quilting, or baking Christmas cookies, or doing housework. There was a way to do things – the right way – and she was confident that she had the formula. That confidence sometimes bumped up against the confidence of her husband and her son, both of whom were often under the mistaken impression that they knew better. But though the family could argue beyond the point of exhaustion, there was never a day – not a single day – where the three missed an opportunity to apologize (if necessary) and to say sincerely, “Good night; I love you” before bedtime. Beverly and Ernie enjoyed traveling, taking numerous trips in the U.S. and Europe, instilling in their son an insatiable love of travel. They made friends quickly wherever they went, and the same was true when they moved to Texas in 1999, following their retirement. That move was motivated by their desire to live closer to Brian and his wife, Kathy, who both work at Baylor University Law School, and especially by their desire to be a part of their granddaughters’ lives. Grace, Olivia, and Sophia grew up with their Grandpa and Grandma Serr an ever-present fixture in their lives. Beverly and Ernie had a home built near Boerne, and were active members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Boerne, where they made many new friends. In 2019, they moved to Waco and again made many new friends at The Delaney senior living facility. Beverly was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Earnest; her son, Brian; daughter-in-law, Kathy; and beloved granddaughters, Grace, Olivia, and Sophia. She is also survived by her sister, Shirley; and brother-in-law, Kerry Harlacher; and many nieces and nephews. Beverly supported many charitable causes, especially those focusing on the needs of children. If you would like to make a donation in her honor, the family encourages you to direct it to your favorite charity focusing on children.