Beverly Rankin

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Rankin, Beverly Beverly May Rankin passed away peacefully at Grace Edgewood Assisted Living on Sunday, August 13, 2017. Bev was born on June 24, 1926, to Percy and May (Babbitt) Ward in Eau Claire where she grew up and went to school. She met her husband, Roy Rankin, a traveling musician, while working at Jimmy Woo's. They married in Stillwater, MN, on July 23, 1952, and shortly after moved to Chicago where they lived until 1967 when they returned to live in Eau Claire to raise their family. Bev went to work at Presto during the Vietnam war and stayed there until Presto closed. She then went to CVTC for her CNA degree. She started working at Sacred Heart Hospital in the Emergency Room in 1975 where she found her true purpose in helping others for she was always the caretaker. She retired from Sacred Heart in 1991. She lived a full life at 91 years of age. Her family was her life. She was generous to a fault. Though her family never had a lot of money, she always made sure they had everything they needed, including family dinners together every night. She made every holiday special. She was famous for her incredible homemade bread, strawberry jam, and her ever-present whistling. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing. Her house was always full of wonderful smells, wonderful music, and lots of love. She and Roy would often entertain at nursing homes around Eau Claire, Roy on the piano and Bev singing along. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Roy, son Darrell Ward, and great grandson Gus Engel. She is survived by her six children: Allen (Bonnie) Sund of Peoria AZ, Susan (Bill) Jahnke of Richmond IL, Claudett (Wes) Wiegand of Herbster WI, Mary (Gary) Anklam of Eau Claire WI, Edward Rankin of Hudson WI, Martha (Billy) Angell of Eau Claire WI, and daughter-in-law Renee Ward of Eau Claire WI. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and 1 great great granddaughter. A private memorial was held with family members. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Grace Edgewood Assisted Living for their kindness in making her last days on earth comfortable and peaceful.

Published on September 24, 2017