Beverly Berry Shute, retired school secretary with the Prince Georges County, MD Public Schools, died on January 2, 2022, at age 95.

Born in Norwalk, OH in 1926, she moved with her family to Alexandria, VA, in 1937. There she continued her schooling and later graduated from George Washington High School in 1944. Next, she attended Sullins College in Bristol, VA for 1 year, returning to Alexandria, VA at the end of the year to attend George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC. She graduated from GWU in 1948, receiving a B.A. in Psychology. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, Kenneth W. Shute, also a Psychology major. They were married in August 1948. While at GWU she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Her work experience, following graduation from GWU, included serving as a secretary in the Transportation Office at Army Security Agency, Arlington, VA; serving as school secretary at Beltsville Junior High School, Hyattsville Junior High School and High Point High School in MD; and serving as a secretary in the Paralegal Department, University College, University of Maryland.

Besides her first and foremost concerns with her family and their welfare, her interests included genealogy, reading, sewing, gardening, cooking and attending the University of Maryland basketball and football games. She had family lines directly back to Myles Standish and John Alden of the Mayflower. She was a member of the Mayflower Society, the John Alden Society and the Huron County, OH and Seneca County, OH Chapters of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Her mother, Helen Hoyt Berry, was a member of the DAR. Together with her husband, she served as a volunteer with the Colesville, MD, Meals on Wheels Program. She and her husband were members of the University United Methodist Church, College Park, MD.

She and Ken moved to Homewood at Plum Creek in Hanover, PA in 2005 where she was active in many activities including dart baseball, Wii bowling and sewing. She loved many of the staff at Homewood who appreciated her nurturing, kind personality with her feisty spirit. She loved cats and had many throughout her lifetime, with the most recent being a 22 lb. Maine coon cat named Caitlyn.

She is survived by a son, Douglas Shute of Front Royal, VA; a daughter, Dr. Valerie Shute of Tallahassee, FL; a daughter, Dr. Barbara Shute and her husband, Don Sidor, of Spring Grove, PA; eleven grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Kenneth Shute, her parents, John and Helen Berry, and a grandson, Michael Sidor.

A private service is planned.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be sent to the Homewood at Plum Creek Benevolent Fund, 425 Westminster Ave., Hanover, PA 17331.