Beverly V. Keagle

Beverly Voss Keagle, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, educator, historian, and lifelong lover of learning, passed away on August 8th, surrounded by the love of her family.

She was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 2, 1934, to Fred James Voss and Ora Lolita Voss. She grew up with her two brothers, Charles Voss and James Voss. Her early years in Minnesota were followed by time in Dobbs Ferry, New York, where she attended The Masters School for the final two years of high school.

She went on to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 1956. It was at Carleton that she met the love of her life, Graham Henry Keagle Jr., of Naperville, Illinois. They married in Duluth in 1957, and shortly after bought a home in Rolling Meadows, IL.

They had a son, Jeffery Keagle, who passed away at 2 years old. They also had two daughters, Sara Keagle Cooke and Cynthia Anne Krostal. Unfortunately, Graham passed away in 1970 leaving Beverly to raise her daughters as a single parent.

Her love of learning led her to earn a master’s degree in library science, and she devoted much of her professional life to education. She worked for District 15 in Illinois and was a resource center teacher at Winston Park Middle School in Palatine. She believed deeply in the importance of books, knowledge, history, and encouraging young people to discover the world around them.

She was also passionate about preserving the history of the communities she loved. She helped found the Rolling Meadows Historical Society and was a dedicated and active volunteer at the Palatine Historical Society at the Clayson House. Her curiosity about the past and her commitment to preserving it touched many people and left a lasting mark on her community.

But above all of her accomplishments, her greatest joy was her family. She was the proud grandmother of Christian Krostal, Luke Krostal, Emma Italiano, Merrit Roesner, and Hallie Hooke, and the delighted great-grandmother of Stella, Tatum, Logan, and Henry. She treasured every generation of her family and loved them beyond measure.

She had a wonderful curiosity about life and found happiness in so many simple and beautiful things. She loved to travel, to read, to cook, and to garden. She loved discovering new places and learning new things. She had strong convictions, including a passion for the Democratic Party, and she was never afraid to express what she believed.

Those who knew her will remember her intelligence, her curiosity, her warmth, her strong spirit, and, most of all, the enormous love she had for her family.

Her family was truly the center of her world. She leaves behind a lifetime of love, memories, stories, books, recipes, gardens, and traditions that will continue through the generations.

She will be deeply missed and forever loved.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to one of the institutions she got so much joy from volunteering with: the Rolling Meadows Historical Society or the Palatine Historical Society.