Obituary of Beverly Bills Bailey Duncan

Beverly Duncan, 97  of Newton died Thursday, December 29, 2023 at her home in Newton. No services are scheduled at this time.  Memorials to the donors choice may be left at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home in Newton.

Beverly, the daughter of Claude Ira and Anna Johanna (Gebauer) Bills, was born April 10, 1926 in West Union, Iowa.  She graduated from West Union High School in 1943.  She and her parents moved to Newton when her father became employed at the Vernon Company.  She worked briefly for B.C. Berg as his secretary.  She then worked for Jasper County Savings Bank, where she met the love of her life, Carroll “Jack” Bailey.  They married a year later and to that marriage came a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Anne. 

Beverly was involved in many community and service organizations, including Rainbow, Theta Chi, a Bluebird leader, a dynamite, bridge player, and the PTA.  At age 50 she took up tennis and became pretty decent at it.  In 1974, Jack died of cancer at age 50 and Beverly spent five years alone. Along came Bill Duncan, a farmer from WhatCheer, Iowa, who became her second husband.  They married and moved to Lake San Marcos, California.  After 20 years, they moved back to Iowa and moved to Polk City.  They lived there 10 years, then moved back to Newton. They became a friendly part of the Chancery Court family.

Beverly is survived by her daughter Anne (Jim) Christianson and Chris Bailey, both of Newton; her granddaughters, Lisa (Nathan) Rucker of Lake Zürich, Illinois, Beth (Andy) Powell of Ankeny and Emily (Jeremy) Vesely of Newton; her five great granddaughters: Anna and Georgia Rucker, Kloe and Marin Pettigrew and Leia Vesely and her beloved kitty, Sammy.

Beverly was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands and her daughter-in-law, Dorothy Bailey.