Beatrice Simonian Mosher

She was born on November 9th, 1944, to Vartkes and Varthouie (Rose) Simonian in Baghdad, Iraq, and immigrated to America in 1948. After brief stops in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Toledo, the family settled in Tucson, AZ, joining a vibrant and close-knit Armenian community. There Bea graduated from Catalina High School in 1961 and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Arizona.

Bea moved to Burbank, California for graduate courses at Cal State Northridge and worked as a Medical Laboratory Technologist for Dow BioSciences. In March 1970, she married John Richard Mosher, with whom she had two daughters, Katherine (née Mosher) Hiller and Rebecca (née Mosher) Harris. In 1985, after her father’s passing, Bea and her daughters moved back to Tucson to be closer to family. She and John remained separated, officially divorcing in 2018.

In Tucson, Bea brought her medical laboratory expertise to Sunquest Information Systems, where she was at the forefront of the information age. She enjoyed her work at Sunquest, traveling broadly and making many friends in Tucson and across the country. As she assumed progressively more important leadership roles in the company, she continued her education at the University of Phoenix, eventually earning a Masters of Operational Management (MOM) degree.

Bea loved cats, especially older cats or those in serious need whom she rescued from the Pima County Humane Society, where she volunteered regularly. Some of her beloved cats included Goofy (her first), Bear (the first cat in Tucson to undergo a craniotomy), and Zoey, who preceded her in death by only a few days. She was an avid reader of all sorts of fiction, but especially loved fantasy, science fiction, suspense and mystery. At the time of her passing, she still had books on hold at the Pima County Public Library. Bea also loved to travel, both alone and with her friends and family. In recent years, she traveled to China, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, England, and Alaska. Her last trip was to Indiana to visit her older daughter and grandchildren.

Bea is survived by and remembered with love by her daughters Kathy and Becky, and her grandchildren, Jordan, Nora, Abby, and Rowan. She is also remembered by a large extended family, including her sister Betty; brothers-in-law Tim and Jim; and nieces and nephews Jay, Amber, Yvonne, Jesse, Lisa, Lexie, Hailey, Hunter, and Bella. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her sister, Mary.

A Celebration of Life is planned for November 29th, 2 pm at East Lawn Palms Mortuary and Cemetery, 5801 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85712, with on-site reception to follow.

Memorials or donations may be made to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, or Sister José Women’s Shelter.