Palm Harbor , FL – September 1, 1929 – July 31, 2026
Beverly Marie Cook died peacefully on July 31, 2026, in Palm Harbor, Florida, at the age of 96.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, to William and Laura (Lafond) Smith, Beverly graduated from Cathedral High School, where she formed friendships that endured for decades. She married Kenneth Philip Cook, the great love of her life. Together they had ten children and made family and faith the center of their lives.
When Kenneth died suddenly in 1970, Beverly was left to raise their ten children, then ranging in age from three to seventeen, while carrying on Amherst Optical Shoppe in Amherst, Massachusetts, the business they had only recently begun together. She earned her optician’s license in 1972 and went on to grow the shop into a successful business, which she owned and operated for more than two decades. Faced with circumstances that might have overwhelmed anyone, Beverly simply did what needed to be done, with resilience and an unwavering commitment to her family.
She loved having everyone together. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and countless other occasions filled the house with family and friends, food, conversation, and laughter. Large gatherings became part of the rhythm of her life, as did summers at the lake, barbecues by the pool, and annual family ski trips. Generous by nature, Beverly loved to shop and often returned home with the trunk of her car filled with presents for her grandchildren.
Later in life, Beverly married Raymond Aldrich and began a new chapter in Florida. Together they made wonderful friends and enjoyed an active retirement filled with travel, golf, and countless games of cards. Beverly loved Bridge, Poker, Canasta, and almost any game that brought people together. She was a member of the Red Hat Society and devoted time to volunteer work helping those in need. She remained deeply engaged with her friends, family, and community.
Her Christian faith was a constant throughout her life. It sustained her through loss and hardship and remained a source of strength, comfort, and hope in her later years.
Beverly was predeceased by Kenneth Cook and Raymond Aldrich, as well as her sons Gary and Robert. She is survived by her children: Kathleen Ford, Kenneth, Thomas, James and his wife Donna, Stephen and his wife Nancy, Joseph and his wife Rita Kristine, Daniel and his wife Beth, and John and his husband Juan. She also leaves nineteen grandchildren: Monique, Jonathan, Joshua, Brandy, Dallas, Ashley, Michael, Stephanie, Brian, Jason, Jeffrey, Samantha, Stephen, Schuyler, Christopher, Scott, Briana, David, and Avery; as well as twenty great-grandchildren and a large extended family.
Beverly lived through nearly a century of extraordinary change, but the things that mattered most to her remained remarkably constant: faith, family, hard work, and being there for the people she loved. The memories that endure are often the simplest: a deck of cards on the table, conversation and laughter filling the room, and generations of family together.
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.” – John 11:25
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church in Amherst on September 25, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., followed by burial at St Brigid’s Cemetery. A reception will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the Inn on Boltwood in Amherst.
Family and friends are warmly invited to gather in celebration of Beverly’s life.
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