ATHENS, Ohio –– Beverly Irene (Cochran) Schumacher, 94, of Athens, passed away at Kimes Nursing & Rehab Center on Monday, March 10, 2025.
Beverly was born September 20, 1931, to Alfretta (Sayre) Cochran and Eugene Rook Cochran.
Beverly was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Dale Edward Schumacher. They had one daughter, Deborah Schumacher Lewis, who also preceded her in death. Beverly is survived by a son-in-law, Don Lewis; two nephews, Phillip Charles Cochran of Charleston, South Carolina, and Ronald Eugene Tschudy (wife, Marlene) of Dover, Ohio; two nieces, Candee Leigh Cochran Abercrombie and Joy Dee (Dee Dee) Cochran Harkey; special friends, Tarry L. Hall and Stewart Hall, Jr.; and many, many other friends and admirers.
Beverly graduated from Dover High School in Dover, Ohio, in 1949. Beverly studied at Ohio University and worked for Southeast Ohio History Center (SOHC). In a newspaper article about Beverly written by Tom O’Grady, Director of Outreach at SOHC, in 2022, he called Beverly, “A professional volunteer who never quits.” The article listed many of Beverly’s accomplishments (including nearly 70 publications) and told of her extensive volunteer work and generosity.
Beverly was on the Board of Directors of the Athens County Historical Society and Museum when the organization became the Southeast Ohio History Center. She had also volunteered at O’Bleness Hospital and the Visiting Nurses Association.
As Mr. O’Grady said so well in his article, “It is difficult to convey the magnitude of Beverly’s tireless efforts enriching Athens and southeast Ohio. She did all of it without fanfare or directing attention to herself. She highlighted the work of others, not herself.”
At Beverly’s request, there will be no service; her remains were cremated and buried beside those of her husband in Clark’s Chapel Cemetery. Arrangements are with Jagers & Sons Funeral Home, Athens. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.
