Beverly F. (Cote) Bourque

Beverly F. (Cote) Bourque was born May 18, 1935, to Georgianna (King) and Francis Cote. She passed away on May 1, just 17 days short of her 89th birthday, surrounded by family.

Predeceased by her husband Joseph (Jerry) in 2008, Beverly was the matriarch of the family. She is survived by her five (5) children – Deb Kruper (Jim) of Leominster, Kathy DiGeronimo (Mike) of Fitchburg, John Bourque (Debbie)  of Sandwich, Stephanie Bourque-Lucas (Jim) of Leominster, and Jason Bourque of Westminster; five (5) grandsons – Matthew DiGeronimo of San Diego, CA, Brian DiGeronimo of Brookline, MA,Marc DiGeronimo of Deerfield Beach, FL, Thom Kruper of Providence, RI, Ryan Bourque of New York, NY;three (3) granddaughters – Nikki (Kruper) Loiselle of Leominster, Ariana Bourque of Burlington, MA, and Hailey Bourque of Leominster;two (2) great-grandchildren – Benjamin and Olivia Loiselle; brothers Bruce Cote (Judy) of Fitchburg and Dennis Cote (Linda) of Newark, Delaware; as well as many in-laws, nieces and nephews, their children, and next-to-family friends.In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her brothers Duane and Randall Cote.

Beverly was born in Gardner and raised in Fitchburg, where she lived with her husband Jerry and their children until his passing in 2008, then moved to Brooks Pond in Leominster. She was a stay-at-home Mom with most of her children, returning to the workforce  in the early seventies, first at The Emily Shop in downtown Fitchburg as a sales associate, then Fitchburg High School as an administrative assistant, and then retired from her job as a client service rep at Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance in 1993.

She answered to many names - Mom, Ma, Bev, Gram, GiGi, Auntie, “Queen”– and was cherished for her chocolate chip cookies, homemade chocolate [toothpick] cake, and peanut butter fudge. She loved family gatherings as well as Sunday dinners every weekend. Beverly also enjoyed dinners out or a trip to a local ice cream shop in the summer – often demanding to pay – and there was no fighting her! Trips to Las Vegas or Foxwood were a source of joy for her and she also loved family vacations on the Cape and in Maine, gratefully spending a week in Moody Beach, Maine last August before falling ill.

Beverly’s family would like to thank the compassionate caregivers at the Highlands Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the care they provided during her time there, especially in the last few weeks of her life.While there are too many to name, please know that you were all appreciated by Bev and her children.

At Beverly’s request, there will be no services. A private burial will be held for the family on Friday, May 10 with a celebration of life open to all of her friends and extended family at 11:30-2:30 at Oak Hill CC. In lieu of flowers (which Beverly was famously noted for saying “they’re lovely but they just die”) the family asks that you consider a donation in her name to the “Activity Fund” at the Highlands Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, 335 Nichols Road, Fitchburg, MA 01420 or DetecTogether (detectogether.org/donate) a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching people how to recognize the early warning signs of cancer and how to take action to save their own lives.