Beverly Adair Day Mangan, loving mother of Charles, Andrew and Peter, and devoted mother-in-law, grandmother and greatgrandmother, died at age 98 in Wimberley on May 17, 2025. She was born in 1926 in the community of Madisonville, Kentucky, selfcoined as “The Best Town on Earth.” There she enjoyed a happy childhood surrounded by close-knit family and friends. As the oldest of four Day children, she helped her momma watch over her three brothers, developing a lifelong love of children, especially boys.

As a young fireball, eager to see the world and chase her dream of becoming an artist and fashion model, she set off for New York City. She wound up walking the runways of various fashion houses and gracing the pages of magazines such as Vanity Fair.

Bev was living a glamorous life when at an NYC house party she happened upon a seemingly studious young man sitting on the stairway, reading. After a swift courtship, the two grabbed a driveaway car and took off for San Francisco, where they married. Jim landed a job with The Associated Press and Bev became pregnant with the first of her three sons. Then suddenly they were heading back to New York City, Jim having caught the attention of AP headquarters.

Bev loved raising her three boys, from a house on Long Island, to up the Hudson River in Peekskill, followed by Dallas, then New Orleans. She and Jim spent several fun-filled years in Bad Godesberg, Germany before returning to Manhattan to wind up his career. After Jim’s retirement, they built a home in Amelia Island, Florida and embraced lifetime loves of tennis, golf and cards. Next came a return to central Texas. In 1986 Bev and Jim went on a trip around the world. Throughout her travels Bev excelled in a range of interests. She had an artist’s talent and produced beautiful paintings, pastels, and ceramic sculptures. Her love of design led her to jewelry making, using shells, semi-precious stones, and a vast array of beads. She frequently teamed up with her youngest son, Peter, another artist who benefited from his mom’s sensitivity and creativity.

Bev loved capturing the regional cuisines of each place she traveled, producing exotic and down-home dishes full of flavor and fire, from red beans and rice to barbecued shrimp to Peruvian ceviche and chicken Kiev. She stayed healthy and flexible as a yoga devotee and a yoga instructor. Bev enjoyed music and introduced her boys to Simon and Garfunkel, Lotte Lenya, Candide, Puccini and more. She danced when she had a chance, grabbing her bashful sons and dragging them onto the living room floor for a Motown, Rock-n-Roll, or jazz turn. She was up for adventure and encouraged her sons to have fun, whatever they did. After their 62 years of marriage, Jim died in 2015. Bev continued to enjoy spending time with her three sons and their families in central Texas.

Peter and Karen Mangan would like to thank the people of Henry House assisted living in Blanco for the great care they provided Bev.