Beverly J. Oberlin

Beverly J. Oberlin, 92, of Jackson Twp. died September 8, 2022.

She was born in Cleveland, November 18,1929 to Ralph R. West and Janet Engle West.

Beverly attended Shore High School in Euclid and graduated from The College of Wooster in 1952. On August 9, 1952, she married David E. Oberlin of Massillon and the couple immediately set sail to Europe. After spending a month in London, Paris, and Rome they became students at The American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece for 6 months before joining The University of Pennsylvania’s Archeological expedition at Gordion, a historic site in central Turkey, the capital city of Phrygia whose famous king was Midas of the golden touch, and later at Korian on the island of Cyprus. Returning to Massillon in 1954, Beverly wrote for the society department of The Evening Independent until the birth of their daughter, Tracy. Beverly then received a B.Ed. and later M.Ed from Kent State and began teaching at Whittier Elementary in 1965. After retiring in 1987 as a member of the Massillon branch of American Association of University Women, she and others created the AAUW Puppeteers, making their own puppets and adapting stories to present to various groups. They eventually made marionettes and ended with the show “A Sheep's Tale'' about the history of Spring Hill Historic Home. This show performed yearly at Spring Hill later became part of the Juneteenth celebration. At the time Beverly was a member of the board of trustees who developed the early version of the program.

She was a lifelong member of the Massillon Woman’s Club and a piano accompanist for The Five Oaks Chorus. Beverly enjoyed traveling in many countries including the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America. She was a 68-year member of Central Presbyterian Church, an enthusiastic genealogist, and a member of The Massillon Heritage Foundation.

Beverly is survived by her husband of 70 years, David, her daughter Tracy (Richard) Wilder, her granddaughter Amy (Michael) Grinstead and great- grandson Benjamin Grinstead, and several cousins. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the caregivers of Home Instead, Massillon, especially Erin and Susan, who provided much needed comfort and care these last few years.

A memorial service will be held 11:00 am Saturday, September 24, 2022 at Central Presbyterian Church, 47 2nd ST NE, Massillon, OH 44646, with calling hours beginning at 10:00 am. Inurnment will take place at a later date at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland. Memorial contributions may be made to Central Presbyterian Church.

Paquelet Funeral Home

330-833-3222

www.paquelet.com