Beverly R. Drake

Beverly Drake,of Decatur, GA, passed away unexpectedly, on Tuesday, March 15^th, 2022. She had recently celebrated her 75^th birthday with those she loved most, family and friends.

Beverly was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, to the late Mildred Malcom Roberts and John Roberts. She prided herself on helping raise her beloved little sister, Marilyn Boehlke, into the wonderful woman she is now. Beverly adored her grandfather, Warner Malcom, and enjoyed her frequent weekends with him and her grandmother, Nora Malcom, in Grantville, Georgia.

Beverly graduated from Shelbyville’s Central High School in 1965, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and Editor-In-Chief of the school newspaper. She went on to attend the University of Georgia and Emory University from which she graduated with honors in 1975 (while mothering young twins). She started her career as a CPA in Atlanta with Birdsong & Associates. In 1978, she co-founded the accounting firm of Arnold and Hills, with Lorain Arnold, where she continued to work closely with Lorain and Gary Black until her retirement in 2000. Beverly was an active member of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce during her professional career.

Her work ethic was second to none and her children, Shannon and Richard, knew better than to interrupt her during “tax season.”  To this day, they can still hear the late-night sound of the adding machine keys and vividly recall the white tape stretching endlessly across the living room floor when they awoke the next morning.

Beverly married Dick Hills in 1969, and they became the proud parents of Shannon and Richard in 1970. After divorcing in 1978, they continued to raise Shannon and Richard respectfully and lovingly. They remained friends until her death.

In 1986, Beverly married Walt Drake and for 32 years they enjoyed travelling together to France, Italy, Ireland, Costa Rica, Turkey, Napa Valley, the North Georgia Mountains and the Georgia Coast. Their combined family had much fun and many laughs over the years.

Those close to Beverly admired her sense of style and her appreciation for the finer things in life. Her shoe collection rivalled that of Imelda Marcos, a loving nickname bestowed by the friends who were fortunate enough to benefit from a closet cleaning.

Animals always held a dear place in Beverly’s heart, a long cast of characters with all dogs names starting with a “B”. Friends and family often joked they wanted to be reincarnated as one of Beverly’s pets.

A voracious reader, Beverly kept a notebook recording all the books she read. She adored her book club, CRS (Can’t Remember Sh*t), and its members will miss her dearly. Those around her knew they could rely on Beverly to recommend their next great read.

A gourmet cook later in life, Beverly delighted in preparing food for those she loved, managing somehow to dirty every dish and inch of counter space in the process. She was also a master of southern comfort food - her collards and corn bread could have won awards, and her Thanksgiving feasts were perfection.

Her children are beyond grateful to her loving neighbors and friends at The Artisan who were always there to help their mom and her cherished dog, Boomer, and elusive cat, Stella. We know they feel her absence daily.

Beverly was a fiercely loyal friend who wasn’t afraid to share her thoughts. Her friends loved her quick wit and dry sense of humor and they enjoyed endless laughs and adventures throughout the years.

One of Beverly’s great loves was St. Simon’s Island. She would often spend weeks at a time on the island that she often referred to as her “happy place”. She developed and nurtured many great friendships during her countless visits.

Beverly served on the board of The Day League (formerly DeKalb Rape Crisis Center), a charity very dear to her heart. Beverly was also an active volunteer for the Decatur CAPS Program, where she assisted the City of Decatur Police Department in enhancing the safety and quality of life in the city she loved.

A devoted mother to Shannon and Richard, Beverly ran a tight ship; the twins even spent the week before leaving for college grounded (rightfully so), something that makes them laugh to this day. She taught both kids to cook and do laundry when they were just 10 years old, and she continued to give them guidance, love, and sage advice throughout their lives. A touchstone for them both, words fail when attempting to describe the loss they feel.

A generous and loving grandmother, Beverly was “GB” for Grand Beverly, to Thomas and Matthew Hills, and Eli and Mia Hirsh. There wasn’t a woman who loved babies more and she was a tremendous support when all grandbabies were born. “GB” was immensely proud of all her grandchildren.

Thomas, the first-born grandchild, will soon graduate from the honors program at UGA, and she largely attributed his success to the sense of responsibility she imparted to him. Of her second grandson, Matthew, currently a sophomore at UGA, Beverly often said she wished she could live just one day in his wonderfully creative mind. She loved Matthew’s compassionate heart and his ability to always make her laugh.

Beverly was touched at how protective her grandson Eli was of her and she knew he was going to do great things in life with his nurturing spirit. Eli sure loved his “GB”. When Mia came along, Beverly was over the moon to have a granddaughter and proudly called Mia “my girl”. She so admired Mia’s strong sense of self and independence (two things she clearly got from her GB).

A Memorial Service will be held at A.S. Turner & Sons on April 15, 2022, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation beforehand, followed by a celebration of her life with great food, fine wine, shared memories and laughs, at Café Lily in Decatur from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Day League <https://dayleague.org/financial-support/>

or the DeKalb Humane Society  https://humanesocietyofnortheastgeorgia.org/donate-now/