Obituary of Dorothy Elizabeth Beaver

Announcing the peaceful passing of Dorothy Elizabeth Beaver on June 16th at her home in the Seacliff Community, Aptos, with family, friends and caregivers nearby. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on July 15, 1915 Dorothy Elizabeth Schwarz relocated to El Segundo, California as a young girl with her parents' Frank and Anna Mae Schwarz, and sister Mary. After completing business school, Dorothy went to work as a secretary in the insurance industry in downtown Los Angeles. The company specialized in insuring motion pictures including smaller studios like Republic Pictures. A highlight of her young adult life was a 1938 cruise from Los Angeles through the Panama Canal to Cuba, with Dorothy pictured above on her first day aboard the SS City of Baltimore, then on to Times Square in New York City and a return by Pullman railcar through Chicago to Los Angeles. She met her future husband, William Manley Beaver, a graduate of Santa Cruz High School and member of the US Army Corps of Engineers on the eve of World War II during a social hour at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California. The couple married in 1947 and started their family of two sons, Christopher William Beaver and Thomas Manley Beaver. In 1955 Dorothy and William established a family business, Paradise Ready-Mix in Paradise, California. Dorothy and William joined the Seacliff Community in Aptos shortly before William's death in 1994. Dorothy immediately became an active member in the Seacliff Community. From her front-window perch, Dorothy maintained an active eye on the community and participated in community activities and politics even as she perfected her skills at needlepoint. Presented as greeting cards and bookmarks, Dorothy's needlepoint creations remain a treasured possession by those fortunate to have been given her beautiful work. Among the many activities Dorothy pursued with friends at Seacliff were every-Sunday afternoon film screenings and regular Friday morning pool games. Dorothy loved downtown Santa Cruz and enjoyed sitting on a Pacific Avenue bench to watch the world go by. A meal at the Crepe Place with her son Thomas and his wife, Diane Rea, was always a treat, as were "fancy coffees" at Pacific Coffee Roasting Company and Lulu's with her son Christopher and his partner, Denise Zmekhol, and many meals at The Farm, Stagnaro Bros. on the Wharf, the Hindquarters, Rockys Cafe in Felton, and especially twilight meals at the Shadowbrook, always in the less formal dining area as close as possible to the fireplace. Over the course of her life, Dorothy was never one to mince words about what she considered right and wrong yet always open to new ideas. She believed in Ronald Reagan in his era and Barack Obama in his. Most of all she believed in simple human kindness, whether counseling those in need of a moral boost, welcoming a new member to the Seacliff Community or driving friends to their errands and appointments. Dorothy remained undiminished mentally and extremely active her entire life, an adventurous person willing to try just about anything once. Most of all Dorothy shared her enthusiasm, energy, and hope with all who met her. She wanted everyone to blossom, to pursue their dreams, and to succeed on their own terms: you just need to start dreaming, the example of her life seemed to say, and take that first step. An intimate non-denominational remembrance of Dorothy's life will take place at the Felton Cemetery on July 24 at 11:00 a.m. where she will be placed alongside her husband, William and other family members. Dorothy wanted to express her gratitude to the friends and caregivers who helped her through her transition from this life, and in the spirit of Dorothy's love of adventure, to the next phase of whatever comes next. Instead of flowers, Dorothy requested that donations be made online to Hospice of Santa Cruz.