To make a donation to the Beverly Brown, APR Scholarship Fund:
- donate via our PayPal pay link:
- mail a check, payable to FPRA Ocala Chapter/APR Scholarship, to FPRA Ocala Chapter, P.O. Box 5575, Ocala, FL 34478
Dear FPRA Ocala Chapter Members,
It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Beverly Brown, APR. Our thoughts and comforting wishes go to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. You can read Beverly’s obituary here.
Beverly joined the FPRA Ocala Chapter in 2018, earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) in 2022 and made many contributions to our chapter. She served on the Ocala Chapter board for three years as membership director and treasurer. In 2022, Beverly earned an inaugural Toni James, APR, CPRC, PACEsetter Award for her dedication to membership; her uncanny ability to make people feel seen, heard and valued; and her “God-given passion,” as she would say, for the public relations profession.
Let’s come together to honor Beverly’s legacy and commitment to professional development. We have established the Beverly Brown, APR, Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will be formally announced at our annual banquet on Aug. 30, where we will celebrate Beverly’s life and contributions and install our new board.
Yours in service and sadness,
Lindsay Tozer
FPRA Ocala Chapter President
Beverly’s Eulogy | July 27, 2024
I brought this box of tissues; Beverly said it’s OK if I cry, and it’s OK if you do, too.
Will you all join me in taking a nice long deep breath?
As I exhale, I’m going to think about what Beverly would encourage me to do in this moment – and pray for her calm presence to wash over me. Hello, everyone. My name is Heather Danenhower-Nelson. Before Beverly went to be with Jesus, she asked if I would speak at today’s service and describe, “Beverly, the professional.”
I met Beverly in 2021 when I was president of the Florida Public Relations Association Ocala Chapter.
Our membership director had to unexpectedly resign, leaving this critical position empty. A fellow board member, Tammy Gantt had known Beverly for a few years and recommended her for the position.
I didn’t know Beverly before then, and I was missing out! She was exactly what our chapter needed in a
membership director. She was exactly what I needed as president.
Beverly joined the Ocala Chapter in 2018. She served on the Ocala Chapter board for three years as membership director and treasurer. In 2022, Beverly won a public relations award, her first, for her Facebook Engagement Plan for Taylor College. By the end of the year, she also earned her accreditation in public relations, known as the A-P-R.
Tammy Gantt said: Beverly didn’t pass the test the first time she took it. She missed it by two questions. She studied every night and all day on Saturdays to redouble her efforts. Seven hundred fifty handwritten flashcards later, Beverly earned her accreditation in public relations. She said it was her greatest success as an adult learner.
Lauren Debick said: During our study sessions, we spent time together on almost a weekly basis for a few months. Beverly would always show up and that meant a lot to me. I could see how determined she was to pass the exam. When I got the text from her that she passed, I literally jumped up and down.
Laura Byrnes said: The always calm, unflappable Beverly was simply gob smacked and thrilled to earn her credential.
I read once that giving someone your time and attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. Beverly exemplified this statement. She intuitively knew what to do, what to say and how to make people feel seen, heard and valued. Her authentic approach to membership was one to emulate so much so I bestowed one of our most prestigious awards to Beverly – the Toni James, APR, CPRC, PACEsetter of the Year Award. The award recognizes members who set an example for others through their demonstrated passion for the public relations profession. That chapter year, we focused on promoting a warm and welcoming culture – and no one did that better than
Beverly.
Member Tom Hyle said: Beverly was such a wonderful person and one of the first people in the Ocala Chapter that I got to know. She made me feel so welcome.
Jen Houser said: Beverly was the most intentional person. When you spoke to her, she would look you in the
eyes and give you her undivided attention.
Danielle Veenstra said: Even as a professional, Beverly brought her personality and her warmth. Her voice had a calming quality. Even when I saw her frustrated, it was hard to tell because her tone was gentle.
Kevin Christian said: Beverly’s level of understanding and compassion solidified her gift in my mind. She was sensitive to others’ needs yet compassionate when their needs outweighed hers. Lisa Varner recalled: Having the utmost respect for Beverly professionally because she was the mastermind behind many signature community events at Highland Memorial Park.
Allison Campbell said: Beverly was a beautiful soul and always a shining light with a bright smile every time I saw her. She told us then how important it was to have regular colonoscopies, because even in her sickness, she was thinking of others.
As for me: I can be demanding and sometimes difficult to work with. When we’re in the house of the Lord,
we shall tell the truth! I have high standards for myself and others, and I can be quite particular about all the details. I overthink, and I agonize about making the “right” decision. Beverly is one of a few people who could see right through me. When I was unsure of myself, fretting about making the “right” decisions for our chapter, and worrying if members were having a good experience at our events, Beverly would give me a kind, reassuring glance with her striking blue eyes, a soft smile and a gentle head nod. Beverly’s calm energy and quiet confidence brought me peace, and my fears would fade away.
Under the leadership of our current president, Lindsay Tozer, and past president, Tammy Gannt, the Ocala
Chapter has established the Beverly Brown, APR, Scholarship Fund to honor her legacy and commitment to professional development. We will offer the scholarship annually. As of this morning, we had about $2,000 in contributions, with one anonymous donor committing to a reoccurring annual contribution of $1,000. Knowing Beverly as a colleague and friend is a gift we enjoyed for far too short a time. But in true Beverly form, she faced her future with dignity and grace. We can be assured that God is using her in tremendous ways in heaven. Her ultimate profession is now achieved. Her ultimate healing is now received. If we could see her now, we would all know why God needed her more than we did.
I asked Beverly about her favorite memories. In that hour, she found happiness remembering being six years
old looking for sand dollars with her mom and dad at Sanibel Island – and watching her daughter, Tara, sleep when she was a baby, she said, “seeing Tara’s puffy cheeks and watching her belly rise and fall.” She found happiness telling me Tara’s story. Mother and daughter are undoubtedly reunited in heaven.
I know we are sad today, and for many of us, the grieving process will be long and hard. Beverly said it’s OK
if we cry, and I think she would ask us to find happiness in this place and in this hour.
I hope Beverly is giving me a reassuring glance from heaven as I conclude describing “Beverly, the professional”.