Beverly Jean (nee Harper) Kolafa passed into God’s arms on October 31, 2023. 

She was born July 24, 1956 in St. Louis, MO to parents Buddy and Mary Jean (nee Kisner) Harper. 

From a very early age Beverly loved reading books and would spend hours caught up in whatever adventure or mystery story she was currently reading. She also loved animals, with a special fondness for birds. Over the years she cared for Cockatiels, Love Birds, a Quaker Parrot, a Sun Conure, a Green Amazon Parrot, a wild Starling that she and her son nursed and raised from an abandoned hatchling, and a wild Quail she rescued from becoming a bird hunter’s target. Although most of her pets were birds, she dearly loved her little dog, Sassy.

Beverly loved crafting and could make anything from crochet, embroidering, and constructing/sewing doll clothes designed to fit the American Girl size dolls, which were enjoyed by her granddaughters. Anything trendy that came out, she could recreate. She loved attending Craft Conventions and browsing Flea Markets. Another one of her favorite pastimes was going to the movies. Catching all the summer hits was a challenging adventure, which resulted in sometimes seeing more than one movie in a day and the unforgettable egg sandwich debacle.

She had a soft spot for children and worked as a Preschool teacher at Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis School for close to 20 years, then worked as a Paraprofessional in the Mehlville Special School District until retirement came early. 

Beverly is preceded in death by her father, Buddy Harper. She is survived by her mother, Mary Jean Reitenbach; her two sons: Brian (Alicia) Kolafa and Raymond (Melissa) Kolafa III; five grandchildren: Cheyenne, Jalin, Luke (Camille), Noah, and Adam; uncles, aunts, cousins, and many other friends and family.

Beverly is and will always be loved and deeply missed. She touched many lives and had a beautiful heart.