Beverly Ann (Beebs) Stith was born in Chicago, Ill., on October 31, 1946, to Dolores and Henry Nawrocki. Proud to be in the first wave of the Baby Boomer generation, her father Henry had just returned from serving in the Army in WWII. Raised in the Logan Square/ Avondale neighborhood of Chicago, she attended Schurz High School. She worked at Standard Oil and Amoco Chemical in Chicago before moving to St. Louis. Just when we thought she would be a Nawrocki forever, she met the love of her life, Don Stith. She traded her beloved Cubs and Bears for the Cardinals and Mizzou. The next move took them to Richmond, and they eventually settled down (or so Don hoped) to the small town of Troutville, not far from Roanoke.
The rest is history! She lived by the motto, “Every day … do something.” Her positive attitude and unending enthusiasm were put to good use in the Church communities she joined. Stewardship ministries, Welcome / Newcomer Committees, animal rescue programs, and Virginia Veterans Care Center are just a few programs where she shared her time and talent. Recognition was never a priority – working behind the scenes as readily as upfront.
She didn’t just enjoy social activities. Having relentlessly cheered for a multitude of professional sports teams she decided in her 60s to launch her own exercise adventures. So, just like Forrest Gump, she started running and never stopped. She ran 5Ks, 10Ks and won the Blue Ridge Half-Marathon for her age group.
At the heart of it – Beebs loved life to the fullest. When she acknowledged that her race was over, she did so with courage, faith, conviction, and patience. A great witness to the Gospel message, she remained steadfast in her commitment to God and anticipated her reward in heaven. She wanted all of us to know she had a great life, lived with the intensity of one fully alive. One can only smile when one thinks of her.
Beebs is survived by her loving husband of 28 years, Donald G. Stith; dear sisters, Nancy Schwitzenberg and Pat (Alex) Santa; brother, Jim (Suzanne) Nawrocki; nieces and nephews, Bob Schwitzenberg, Mark (Wendy), Eric (Pamela) Santa, Lesley (Jeremy) Netzer, Daniel Nawrocki, Laura (Daniel) Krcmaric, Michael (Rose) Nawrocki, and Evan Nawrocki; great-nieces and -nephews, Nate and Drew Schwitzenberg, Ivan Santa, Layla and Will Netzer and Theo Krcmaric. She was preceded in death by her three special dogs, Sparky, Lady and Willy. All of her family, friends (and pets) loved her and we loved her back.
A Celebration of Beverly’s Life was held on Wednesday, February 24, at St. Philips Lutheran Church in Troutville at 3 p.m. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, it was live-streamed and recorded on the St. Phillips Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StPhilipLutheran/. Once the COVID limits are lifted, an outdoor Celebration of Life Picnic is planned for the late spring or early summer.
