Beverly Lila Officer

Funeral Service for Beverly "Bev" Lila Officer will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at the First United Methodist Church in Gillette, Wyoming with Reverend Burry Bessee officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Pisgah Cemetery, Gillette, Wyoming. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Monday, February 17, 2014 at Gillette Memorial Chapel. Beverly "Bev" Lila Officer, aged 80, died peacefully on February 13, 2014 at home in Gillette surrounded by her family, friends, and adoring dogs. She died from complications with Myasthenia Gravis. Bev was born August 26, 1933 in Silver Spring, Maryland, the daughter of Graham Hartley Woolfall and Winifred Barnes Woolfall. Her father was an architect for the Government and as a child, enjoyed traveling and lived in Washington DC, Seattle, and Kansas City. Bev graduated from a high school in Kansas City, Missouri, where she was the editor of her high school newspaper. Bev was a stickler for proper English and always corrected improper grammar. Bev attended The University of New Mexico, where she was a Pi Phi. It was at UNM that she met Ken Officer, while working on her Mrs. degree.In 1954, Bev married the love of her life William "Ken" Officer, and upon his completion of Pilot Training School, they embarked upon an exciting career in the United States Air Force. Ken and Bev traveled the world, living in 22 homes in England, France, the Philippines, and across the United States. Bev was extremely patriotic and was devoted to military life. Colonel Officer and Bev retired in 1982 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bev moved to Gillette in 2008 to be near her daughter and family.Travel continued to be a passion for Bev and Ken and they traveled the world on over twenty Alaskan, Canadian, Caribbean, and European cruises and numerous Elder hostels. A favorite family vacation was to Corkin's Lodge in Chama, New Mexico where we enjoyed fishing for rainbow trout in the Brazos River surrounded by mountains. Bev was very devoted to her family. In addition to raising her three children, Bev and her family had a passion for dogs. The Officers shared their lives with a beagle, a poodle, a German wirehaired pointer, a wire haired pointing Griffon, Rottweiler's, and Cairn terriers. Bev showed Pickles, a West highland Terrier with the help of her family. She spent endless hours walking Duffy, her Cairn terrier on the Dietz Farm ditch in Albuquerque and around the Donkey Creek area in Gillette and was always waving at the school buses going to and from South Campus.Bev was a health nut, with her main hobby being walking. If she couldn't walk Duffy in the bitter Wyoming weather, she was water walking at the Recreation Center. She enjoyed water aerobics, reading, traveling, needlepoint, baking, and attending her grandchildren's activities. Her family was her pride and joy. Her Grandson nicknamed her "G. Bev" as she didn't want to be called grandma, as that made her sound old.Bev is survived by her sister, Barbara Belyea and her husband Roger Belyea; daughters Karen Officer of Jerusalem, Israel, Paula Petry and her husband Mark Petry of Gillette, Wyoming, and her son Ted Officer and his fiance Sally McPherson of Atlanta Georgia; four grandsons: Kenneth Petry of Wyoming, Christian, and Graham Officer of Georgia, Maggie Officer of Georgia, Esther Reuveni of Israel; a niece Kay Sinnock and two nephews Richard and Ken Belyea; and a number of other relatives and close friends. Bev was preceded in death by her husband and parents.The last six months of her life, Bev received tender loving care from the staff at Pioneer Manor Rehabilitation Unit. Donna went over and above the call of duty and was a companion for Bev. Hospice provided invaluable support of Bev and her family during her last week of life.Memorial donations can be sent in her name to The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Inc. http://www.myasthenia.org/ or 355 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor New York, NY 10017, and Condolences may be sent in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel 210 West 5th Street, Gillette, WY 82716. Funeral Home:Gillette Memorial Chapel210 West Fifth Street Gillette, WYUS 82716