Beverly Morrison Thomas June 30, 1938 - December 24, 2024

Beverly Morrison Thomas, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great- grandmother, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend passed away peacefully on December 24, 2024 in Spanish Fork, Utah continually surrounded by family and friends in the days and
weeks prior.
Beverly was born on June 30, 1938 in the Big Horn Basin in Lovell, Wyoming to Francis and Cleo Morrison. She was the third of eight children, the oldest daughter with five brothers and two sisters. Her childhood was filled with music, cooking, sewing, and camping trips in the Big Horn Mountains. She learned to play the piano and organ at an early age, and became the Sunday School organist when she was still barely tall enough to reach the pedals.
After graduating from high school in Lovell, Beverly moved to Provo, UT to attend Brigham Young University where she double majored in music education and vocal performance. She had a beautiful soprano voice and enjoyed singing in the choirs and operas. At the beginning of Beverly’s senior year she met Darwin Thomas when he joined the ward choir Beverly was directing. They married a year later on September 14, 1959.
Those early married years were filled with babies and school as Darwin pursued advanced degrees and Beverly typed his papers in the midst of diapers and housework. They welcomed a son and two daughters and the family of five moved to Michigan for an internship, Minnesota for a PhD, and finally Washington State for Darwin’s first university job.
In 1972, the couple moved to Spanish Fork, Utah where they purchased five acres and lived in a small trailer while Darwin started work on their log cabin home.
They had just welcomed a new baby to their family and somehow with four small children under foot Beverly managed to bottle fruits and vegetables in the tiny trailer kitchen. Eventually Darwin finished the log cabin and settled into his job at BYU and two additional children joined the family to make six in all.
Beverly was a skilled seamstress and a remarkable cook, talents she used to bless and strengthen her family, with matching pajamas she sewed at Christmas time (even as the number of pajamas grew to 30 plus) and so many dresses for school dances and proms, baby blankets, and more. She made her own wedding dress, and its timeless style and beautiful craftmanship allowed each of her daughters to wear the dress as well. She was famous for her cornmeal rolls, raisin cookies, cinnamon rolls,
Danish pastries, and so much more.
Beverly’s professional career as a choral conductor began in 1980 when she started the Utah Valley Children’s Choir with her friend turned business partner Mary Visker. The first rehearsal was held in her home with about 20 children. Within just a few years the choir grew to over 400 children in five different choirs ranging from 4 to 18 years of age. The choir’s motto, “Sing for the Lord,” reflected Beverly’s own testimony of both her Savior and the power of music. Under Beverly’s direction, the children’s choir toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, and Scotland. They recorded over 15 albums, including a series for Deseret Book featuring arrangements from the Children’s Songbook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The choir sang for prophets and presidents. Beverly’s influence both musically and spiritually on so many who sang under her direction cannot be calculated.
In 1999, Beverly retired as director of the Utah Valley Children’s choir when she and Darwin were called to be mission leaders of the Denver North Mission. During those three years of service Beverly continued to use music to inspire and testify. She made songbooks for the missionaries for zone conference so that when they would arrive instead of noisily visiting until the meeting began, they would sing together songs of the Savior to set a tone of reverence for the meeting. She taught the elders and sisters the power of music and invited them to use music in their own teaching and testifying. Beverly and Darwin served two more missions together, one in Salt Lake City as Family History missionaries and one in the Missionary Training Center Presidency in Provo, Utah.
Beverly served in many additional callings in the Church. She led a large ward choir for many years that performed challenging and spirit-filled Christmas and Easter programs. Other church callings included Young Women’s counselor, Relief Society counselor, ward music chairman, and ward organist. She prayerfully planned the music for each week’s sacrament service until just a few months before her passing.
Beverly will be deeply missed by all within her circle of influence. Her legacy lives on in the music of the Utah Valley Children’s Choir and many other choirs started by her former choir members who continue to sing for the Lord. Free from the pain and physical limitations of her final months, Beverly will certainly sing on, now with the heavenly choirs above.
Beverly was preceded in death by her husband, Darwin; her parents; brothers Evan and Ron Morrison; and great-granddaughter Evelyn Bowcut. Beverly is survived by her sons, Kim (Karlene) Thomas and David (Emily) Thomas; daughters, Suanne (Carl) Bowcut, Becky (Zachery) Poulter, Kristi Frei, and Sara (Perry) Clegg; brothers Douglas, Richard, and Bruce Morrison; sisters Anne Kropf and Sue Borders; as well as 29 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.
Friends and family are invited to attend the funeral service on Saturday, January 11 at 11 a.m. at the Spanish Fork Stake Center, 1006 East 200 South, Spanish Fork, Utah, 84660. Viewings will be held on Friday, January 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, January 11 from 9:30–10:45 a.m., both at the Spanish Fork Stake Center. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the missionary fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (https://donate.churchofjesuschrist.org/contribute/church/missionary- fund) or the Utah Valley Children’s Choir (https://venmo.com/carl-bowcut ) in support of Beverly’s favorite causes.