Beverly Surles

Beverly Esther Richards Surles was born in Riverside Kentucky on February 27,1924. She died December 29, 2025 at the age of 101 in Hendersonville Tennessee. She was the second child of Ottis and Elva Craft Richards. She is predeceased by her sisters Mavis Richards, Ramona Moore and Gloria Jones and brothers JB, Ronnie and Larry Richards. She is survived by her daughters Rhonda Surles Lam and Vicky Surles (John Marshall -Jack), her brother Joe D Richards and numerous nieces, nephews, great and great greats. 

She married William B Surles August 30, 1946 in Washington D C. He died October 19, 2017. They would have been married for 79 years. They had two daughters Rhonda Surles Lam and Vicky Surles. Rhonda’s husband James C Lam Jr. died March 7, 2010. Vicky is married to John Marshall (Jack). 

Beverly worked for the US Government in Washington DC, Tehran, Iran and Jakarta Indonesia. Her husband worked for USAID giving the family an amazing gift of foreign travel and experiences. Her last 16 years of work was at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where she walked about 2 miles to and from work each day. Her last position was the executive secretary to the director of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke. 

After retirement they moved in 1988 to Hendersonville TN about half way between her family in Bowling Green KY and Bill’s family in Pulaski TN. 

While in Hendersonville she was a member of the Red Hat Society and then the Key to the City of Sumner County. She held most of the key positions over the years and ultimately became the official greeter at their monthly luncheons. She was beloved by all. She loved participating in the monthly Bunco and Mexican Train dominoes games. They would also have painting classes and go on excursions. She so enjoyed all her friends from Key to the City. 

Beverly never met a stranger. She could talk to anyone and make them feel welcome. She was proud of her house on the lake full of paintings and sculptures from her time in Iran and Indonesia. Bill and Beverly did a lot of traveling around the country and also added decorations from the Southwest. Their daughter Vicky is an amazing artist, whose artwork is also displayed prominently. 

Beverly loved plants and flowers and has a large collection of flourishing plant life indoors and out. Țhere was always a large vegetable garden in both Bethesda and Hendersonville until recent years when the deer population became over abundant. 

She especially enjoyed sitting in her favorite chair on the sun porch watching the many deer, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and bluebirds outside the windows, with the beautiful backdrop of the sparkling lake outside.