The Christian home of the late Mansco and Beatrice Cooper Perry of Dothan, Alabama was blessed with the arrival of a precious first baby girl, Lillie Beatrice on November 16, 1935. She was immediately adorned with love and kindness from her parents, her six loving brothers who cherished her from that very day, and her extended family. Lillie Bea passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of January 9, 2025 at the Hackensack Meridian Hospital in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

After graduating from Carver High School in Dothan, Lillie married the love of her life Herman Beverett and they packed up themselves, their three youngest children, and her mother and relocated to Newark, NJ to join her brothers and other family members who had already laid the foundation there.

Nurturing was a quality that Lillie Bea possessed which led her to a career of taking care of others. She began her employment at The Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York as a Direct Care Worker. Before long she enrolled in Staten Island College where she attended school in the daytime and worked at night. She obtained her B.S. Degree in 1974 and continued working there as a Registered Nurse until her retirement in 1990. Her caring spirit also led her to open her heart and home to many disabled foster children.

Lillie Bea first accepted Christ at the First Baptist Church in Dothan and united with the Allen A.M.E. in Newark, NJ after relocating. She was a faithful member of Allen, serving as a Trustee and Treasurer for many years. Her failing health prevented her from attending regularly, however her love for Allen never lessened.

Throughout her years, Lillie Bea showed an unwavering spirit and an extraordinary capacity for love. She was a constant source of strength for her family, who knew her as a nurturing matriarch with a heart of gold. She was pivotal in keeping the Perry Family connected. And she loved to travel. As she was beginning to age, some of her favorite sayings were: “I don’t care if I don’t go anywhere else, I’ve been everywhere that I wanted to go.” And “I feel great, I know I could run a marathon.”

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mansco and Beatrice Perry; her husband, Herman Beverett, Sr.; one son, Herman Beverett, Jr.; her six brothers, Willie C., Jim, Precious, Robert, James, and Augustus.

She will be cherished forever by two daughters, Debra Perry and Cheryl Beverett; one son, Ronnie Beverett; one daughter-in-law, Dawn Beverett; her cousins, Dica Pressley and Dr. Billy Page; her very special nurse, Rosella Guest; and many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.