Beverly “Bev” Proulx died peacefully from heart disease at Lindstrom Senior Living in Lindstrom on Jan. 3, 2025.
Known as Mrs. Proulx to generations of students in North Branch (1964–72) and Rush City (1972–98) public schools, Bev taught high school and advanced-placement English, coached speech, and directed theater programs. She was known for her high standards, compassion, sense of humor, and unwavering advocacy for her students of all backgrounds and abilities.
After retiring from the classroom, Bev found a new vocation in textile arts, including the design, making, and historic preservation of quilts as a distinctive art of women across cultures and classes. She designed several lines of 1920s fabrics for Henry Glass of New York. She taught classes in color and quilt design across the Midwest and was a certified quilt appraiser and a member of the Minnesota Quilters and the Rush City Piecemakers.
Bev was an avid reader and lover of theater and film, with a particular interest in history and World War II. She loved to travel and made numerous trips to research her families’ genealogy, attend quilting conferences, and enjoy theater productions. She leaves a legacy of support for education, the arts, her students, and love of her family and friends.
Bev was born to Jack and Susan (Smith) Roth in St. Cloud, Minnesota, June 24, 1942. Shortly after WWII they moved to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, where she graduated from St. Croix Falls High School in 1959. She studied secondary education at the University of Minnesota graduating in 1964. She student-taught in North Branch High School and later completed her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota.
Bev was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Lynn Roth; husband, Ron; and son, John. She is survived by son, Guy (Joann) Proulx of Singapore; daughter-in-law, Dianne Proulx of Blaine; grandchildren, Alexandra and Cole Kopp, and Zachary, Archie, Isabella and Sophia Proulx; stepsons, Hans, Luis and John; many cousins; late sister Lynn’s life partner, Tod Hanson; and a host of friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, at Grandstrand Funeral Home (6580 Main St.) in North Branch with a visitation one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in honor of Bev Proulx be made to the Rush City Education Foundation, at PO Box 153, Rush City, MN 55069. Bev believed strongly in education and this organization.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of Grandstrand Funeral Home and Cremation Service in North Branch, grandstrandfh.com.
