Beverly Lee Lloyd Haas, 83, Dickinson, died on Monday, December 20, 2021 at Country House Residence, Dickinson. Beverly’s Funeral Service will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at First Congregational-UCC, Dickinson with Rev. Janel Kolar officiating. Interment will take place at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be on Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson and continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.
Chin in hands, the tiny girl sat at her upstairs window, delightedly looking out at her world. Beverly Lee Lloyd’s world was one of cats and dogs, calves and cows and horses; all the activities of a busy North Dakota farm. Her world included her busy, home-making mother Helen and her father James, lover of horses. It included two brothers, Clark and James, doting grandparents, and three adoring aunts—Hazel, Dutch and Swede. Her world included the piglet Wootsie, saved from destruction by Bev’s love and occasionally bottle fed even when full-grown. And, of course, it included Smoky Powderfoot Lloyd, the most wondrous horse who ever set hoof on the earth.
The local blacksmith in her world, “Pop” Reed, helped set Bev on a course which would determine one of the most lovely aspects of her life. Whenever her father needed blacksmithing services from Pop, he took Bev with him. Bev would sit on Pop’s lap and he, an artist in his own right, taught her bits and pieces of artistic lore which honed her innate talent and encouraged her creative ability. She also eagerly learned about art from Albert Bean, the family hired man.
Though little in stature, Bev was always a giant in her protection for the bullied or the lonely, and she fiercely defended them. As her world expanded to include grade school and high school, she was a one-person dynamo who refused to allow size, position, or status to prevent her from helping the unfortunate and creating change.
When Bev’s father died, Helen, her mother, did not listen to counsel from several relatives. Believing firmly that “if you educate a girl, you educate a family,” Helen ensured that Bev would go to college. And it was at NDSU in Fargo that Bev looked out another window and often saw a young man walk past her dormitory. As she was fond of saying, “I liked the way he walked.” That young man became her steady date and, on June 26th, 1960, CB “Buck” Haas became her husband. Beverly Lee Lloyd Haas had finally found someone she loved even more than Smoky Powderfoot Lloyd. Eventually Bev and Buck were blessed with two daughters, Carla and Brenda, to complete their family circle.
Bev and Buck created their own world. Both qualified teachers, they spent hours and years in classrooms. Bev was a Home Economics instructor who loved her students and they knew it. Yes, she taught them cooking and child care. Under her instruction, high school boys sewed down-filled vests and wore them proudly. Her students learned the intricacies of quilting, the importance of nutrition, and the principles of interior design. But more importantly, Bev taught them how to work together, how to value each other, and how to be kind.
Bev’s talent as an artist flourished, always encouraged by Buck. Her oils, watercolors, and pastels were prairie-inspired, frequently featuring homestead buildings, wildflowers, hills, and broad blue Dakota skies. She was one of the founders of the Badlands Art Association and encouraged local artists to participate. She attended art classes to polish her own skills and, always aided by Buck, she and Brother Llewellyn Kouba sponsored summer workshops for artists at Assumption Abbey in Richardton. For over 14 years she planned, advertised and taught an Art for Kids class for children ages 6 to 18, fostering their interest and growth as artists.
Bev and Buck were truly a mutually supportive team. When Buck needed an advanced university degree, Bev cheerfully spent summers in Colorado until he graduated. When Bev wanted to open a fabric and Bernina sewing machine store with her business partner, Betty Volesky, Buck helped establish the store and repaired Bernina sewing machines for Bev’s customers for years. The two blended their capabilities as they ran the Taylor Nursery for 25 years. Bev did landscape designs and Buck did hundreds of plantings. They traveled the world together on many Smithsonian tours, with Buck the planner and photographer and Bev keeping a detailed journal of each trip. When Bev longed for a dog, Buck gave her a snow-white Siberian Husky who became her walking companion every day.
Artist, teacher, store owner, nursery operator—throughout all the facets of her life, first and foremost, Bev loved people. She was devoted to her family and maintained lively relationships with other relatives. She continued life-long bonds with college friends. Several of her students kept connections with Bev and she responded with affection. Many Bernina Sew and So store customers came, not so much to buy fabric as to visit with Bev, confiding in her with their problems, asking for her opinions, and valuing her common sense and sound advice. She offered unconditional love to her daughters and grandchildren. And she and Buck enjoyed sixty plus years of committed marriage.
Bev faced the diagnosis of dementia unflinchingly, continuing with every activity as long as possible. The last four years of her life were at Country House, where Tessa Johnson and her incredibly loving, capable staff members ensured that Bev could enjoy a lively, active life.
Bev leaves rich memories of artistic creativity, love for animals, love for people, love for her daughters, and love for her husband. She touched lives with love and was deeply loved in return. No mother has ever had more caring daughters; no wife has ever had a more devoted husband. She is survived by her husband, CB “Buck” Haas, daughter Carla Haas Adamek (Robert), daughter Brenda Haas Kelley (Dave), grandchildren Frank Adamek and Marianne Anderson, great-granddaughter Indiana Anderson, her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Helen and James Lloyd, her brothers Clark and James, her grandparents, and many dear relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
