Beverly Carol Zigounakis

Our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt, Cousin and Sister-in-law passed away on December 3, 2024, at the age of 89. She was so special in so many ways, especially boasting that she was born on New Year's day 1935. Though we are heartbroken, she spent what was to be her final day, visiting with family. She told each of us that she loved us, and we surrounded her with our love and comfort. Our love carried her onto her next journey, where she is now reunited with her husband, Jerry, who predeceased her in 1998. Beverly grew up in Denair, CA, graduating in 1952 as Valedictorian of Denair High School. For many years she anticipated and participated at the reunion of her former Denair classmates. She completed her Secretarial Certification at Forkner Business College in Modesto, CA. She met her husband while working at Modesto Lumber, and later she worked for United Lumber Company. She also worked for a couple of candy factories in the Bay Area. We always joked with her about picturing if she was ever like Lucille Ball in the episode at the candy factory. She would reply that she worked in the office, not on the line, but did occasionally sample the chocolates! She became employed for Bank of America in Modesto, CA in 1957, working as an NCR clerk, a Teller and lastly as a Note Application Processor. She continued at Bank of America until her retirement in 1995. Beverly was a single child, the daughter of Bud and Alice May, but married into a large family. She enjoyed being part of this large Greek family with an abundance of in-laws, children playing; and every Sunday, every birthday, every wedding was a celebration of life event. She always had a smile on her face because she said she never wanted to look back on a photo that caught her by surprise without one! She and her husband enjoyed fishing, camping, and traveling to Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Montana. They enjoyed making pomegranate jelly together, with Jerry over-taking the tedious task of preparing the seeds from the fruit, and Beverly cooking and canning the jelly. For many years, family and friends have looked forward to her yearly distribution of fresh persimmons from her tree; and the persimmon cookies she would bake and share. She enjoyed the outdoors, but could spend hours inside involved in a hobby. Throughout her life she exercised skill in sewing, cross-stitch, crochet, and knitting. She could focus on puzzles, computer Solitaire and word search games for hours. She looked forward to watching and cheering on the 49er's every season. She took great comfort in feeding the doves and hummingbirds in her yard, and tending to the poppies that would appear every Spring. She liked having a nice cup of tea, listening to Elvis Presley songs, and watching The Price is Right, Gunsmoke and Highway to Heaven. She always anticipated her newest Hallmark ornament's release date, and was sure to spend several days adorning her Christmas tree with them. Beverly was very proud of her family and their achievements. She loved getting phone calls, photos, videos, and of course, in-person visits. We carry her love forever in our hearts, her words forever in our memories. She always wanted the very best for each of us. She gave us a good foundation to build a life, and to share our love of family as we follow in her footsteps. Her legacy are her children, son-in-law and daughter-in-law: Virginia "Ginger" Zigounakis Crooks (Richard) and Jerry Zigounakis Jr. (Roseanna); her grandchildren Jerry Zigounakis III, Brian Zigounakis (Joey Pacheco), and Kayla Wilbert (Alex); her great-grandchildren Jazmin Zigounakis and Samuel Wilbert, and her many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, you may consider a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in remembrance of Beverly Zigounakis. She was a fond supporter of their mission.