FRYEBURG — Beverly Walker, 79, passed away on March 5, 2012, at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., after a long illness. Beverly was born on July 5, 1932, in Portland, the daughter of Wallace Francis and his first wife Mildred Hill Heath. Beverly was raised in East Conway, N.H., by her mother and her second husband, Clayton Heath Sr.

Bev started school in a one-room schoolhouse in East Conway, N.H. She graduated from Kennett High School, class of 1950. Shortly after graduating she met the love of her life, Lewis Walker Jr. from Denmark, and they were married in the summer of 1952.

Beverly and Lew owned and operated what is now called Webster’s Country Store in East Conway in the early 1950s. Later they moved to Greenville, and then on to other small northern Maine towns. They eventually decided there was no place like home and moved back to Stanley Hill Road where they raised their family next to the Walker family homestead.

Beverly was predeceased by her father, Wallace Francis; her stepfather, Clayton Heath Sr.; stepbrother, Clayton Heath Jr.; and daughter, Becky, who she and Lew adopted shortly after they were married. She is survived by daughter Theresa, of Mystic, Conn., son George Walker; and siblings, Donald Francis of Greenville, N.C., Dolores Dow of Standish, Judy McGinty of Conway, N.H., Wallace Francis of Massachusetts, and Linda Wall and Cheryll Cote of Maine. Between Theresa and George they blessed Beverly with nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They were the light of her life.

Beverly was employed for many years by the Fashion Corner in Fryeburg and then for many years at J.C. Penney in North Conway, N.H. After the death of her husband she spent winters in Mt. Dora, Fla., and Tavares, Fla. She met Russell Stutting in Florida and a wedding was being planned before his untimely death.

Bev was active in the Fryeburg New Church and also volunteered many hours to the Fryeburg School Ski Program and Pleasant Mountain. Bev was also very active with the Pythagorean Chapter #169, Order of the Eastern Star, where she worked her way through the various chairs to Worthy Matron. Bev was a former member of Mountain View Grange. In Florida she kept busy with the VFW Auxiliary Post 8087, Moose Lodge Post 847 both in Eustis, Fla., and was a life member of the Eagles, Eustis. Bev was a life member of the Fryeburg Fair Association and a Past President of the Cooties. Bev volunteered countless hours to the North Florida Veterans Health System and the Mt. Dora Shuffleboard Club.

Visiting hours will be held at Wood Funeral home, 9 Warren St., Fryeburg, on Friday, March 16, from 6 to 8 p.m., and a funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 17, at the Fryeburg New Church, Oxford Street, at 11 a.m. Arrangements are made with Wood Funeral Home, Fryeburg. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.woodfuneralhome.org.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Fryeburg New Church in Beverly Walker’s name.