Beverly Brookfield Kinraide

The Reverend Beverly Brookfield Kinraide, 71, died peacefully on Saturday, July 27, 2013, at her home in Sharon, MA, surrounded by her family. She was cared for with compassion in her final months by the nurses and staff of Old Colony Hospice. She was married 48 years to Thomas B. Kinraide. Beverly was raised in Sharon and graduated from Sharon High School. She earned an Associate's Degree from Colby Jr. College in NH and a Bachelor's Degree in English from Boston University. Later she earned a Master's Degree in Environmental Studies from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. Beverly was ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1992 and served the New River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Beckley, WV for many years. Beverly and Thomas lived in several states including Colorado and West Virginia for many years before retiring to Sharon two years ago to be near her family. Beverly was a kind and giving person who opened her home as a shelter for children and adult women in need. Her many passions included work with children and youth, choral music, community theater, the Unitarian church, Girl Scouts, public radio, and travel. She was an advocate for the environment and for social justice – the latter reflected in her participation in the establishment of a women's shelter in West Virginia. Above all, she enjoyed time with her family.

She will be greatly missed by her husband, her daughters Jerusha Vogel and Rebecca Kinraide, and her grandchildren Duncan, Matthew, Adric, and Eowyn. She was much beloved by her siblings Donald, David, Jane, Susan, and the late Lt. Douglas H. Brookfield, USAF. She will be buried in Rock Ridge Cemetery in Sharon near her parents, Donald and Phyllis Brookfield, and her brother Douglas.

Family and friends are invited to an informal gathering at her home, 30 Highland Ave., Sharon on Friday, August 2 from 4 to 8 pm. A formal Memorial Service will be held on September 21 at the Unitarian Church of Sharon. Those wishing to honor Beverly's memory may lend their support to Girl Scouts, Public Radio, or The Nature Conservancy.