Beverly Vis Luck, 88, died Tuesday, January 30, at the Maplewood Senior Living Community in Plainsboro, New Jersey.
Born in 1935 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Beverly grew up in nearby Waupun, where her parents, the late Harmon and Myrna Vis, together ran a jewelry and watch-repair store. In Waupun she developed her lifelong interests in reading, food and movies. She claimed that she found out the signature dishes of each
of the town’s best cooks and watched for them to be served. In 1954, she
married Donald Luck, another native of Waupun and a returning veteran. As Don completed his education and started his career as a college librarian, Beverly attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Beloit College and earned a BA in English Literature from UCLA in 1959. When living in Los Angeles, Beverly and Don enjoyed swimming at California beaches and camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and established strong friendships with several other young couples.
In 1969 Beverly and Don moved to Cranbury, New Jersey, where in 1970 Beverly became the Assistant Director, then Director, of the Cranbury Public Library, remaining until 1986. While there, Beverly increased the library’s circulation and attracted visitors with numerous musical performances and art exhibits. She then went back to school for a Master of Library Science at Rutgers University, afterward becoming a reference librarian at the Monmouth County Library from 1989 until her retirement in 2000.
Beverly and Don were enthusiastic travelers, making regular trips to California friends as well as to Africa, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. They also enjoyed trying new restaurants and entertaining family and friends with delicious meals at home. A resident of South Main Street in Cranbury, Beverly was for many years
an active member of the Cranbury Historical Society, Cranbury Landmarks (the group responsible for saving the “Old School”), and Cranbury Housing Associates. She nurtured her love of classical music and theater by attending numerous performances at the New York Philharmonic and McCarter Theater and became a supporter of the New Jersey Symphony. She was always ready to see a movie in person or on television, and with a retentive memory she almost never forgot an actor or play she had seen. She read the New Yorker and Gourmet from cover to cover. At all times Beverly had a lively curiosity about the people she encountered and liked to converse with them about their lives. On South Main she was admired for her meticulous care of her house and yard and her thoughtfulness to friends and neighbors. A loving and caring wife, mother and grandmother, Beverly was predeceased by Don, who died in 2014.
Beverly is survived by a daughter, Margaret Luck and her husband, Stephen Widenhouse; her son, Andrew Luck and his wife, Lynn Mullins; and her three grandchildren, Desmond Luck and Luke and Sophie Widenhouse.
The family deeply appreciates Janet Matlock, who was their mother’s main caregiver for the last two years.
A Memorial Service will be held on a date to be determined.
Donations in memory of Beverly Luck may be made to the Cranbury Public Library Foundation, 30 Park Place West, Cranbury, NJ 08512
Arrangements are under the direction of A.S. Cole Son & Co., 22 N. Main St., Cranbury, NJ.