Beverly (Redman) Bobroske

Beverly (Redman) Bobroske passed peacefully at Shady Oaks Assisted Care facility in Bristol on Thursday, January 10, 2019 after battling myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) for over sixteen (16) years.

She was born the second daughter to Emil and Martha Redman on June 30, 1934.  Beverly lived an extraordinary life in Bristol, CT; her High School yearbook accurately captured what became her life work with statements of “listens to anyone’s problems,” “inimitable personality,” and even “women’s basketball” – which explained her decades of rabid cheering for the UCONN women’s team until her final days. After growing up serving customers in the famed Redman Dairy, she started her career as a secretary at Connecticut Light and Power. Beverly then moved to General Motors for a secretarial job that included modeling with GM products. She married the love of her life and Korean War Ace-Fighter Pilot Gerhardt Bobroske in 1956.  She achieved both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Connecticut College while raising her three boys and thereafter began her lengthy career in education teaching in Plymouth at East Main Street School and counseling at Harry S. Fisher middle school in Terryville.  Beverly eventually retired from the Terryville School system and became an active, lifelong, charter member of the “Gray Bulldogs” - whose friendships remained steadfast throughout retirement life. In addition to her education career, she was active in politics and was elected President of Plymouth Education Association in 1974. In 1983, she was initially appointed by Mayor Michael Werner in 1983, and eventually Chaired, the Bristol Board of Education.

In 1987, she became the first Bristol Board of Education member elected as a Director for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) and represented Area 7.  Ultimately, she served as President of the CABE from 2000-2003.  CABE bestowed her with the Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award in 2005. At the State level, Governor Jodi Rell appointed Beverly to the State Board of Education in 2005. She also received Gubernatorial appointments to the Legislative Commission for School Transportation Safety and the Governor’s Commission for Education Administrator Professional Standards.  Beverly represented Connecticut and served as a voting delegate for the National School Board Association (NSBA).  At the Cincinnati Annual conference in 2009, she received the NSBA “Distinguished Service Award” for her lifelong service to education.

Her happiness stemmed from raising her three sons, Timothy (Harwinton, CT), Martin (Denver, CO) and Theodore (Easton, CT) and watching their families grow all over the world. She was blessed with three wonderful daughters-in-law, Lynne, Susan and Regina and five grandchildren: Katherine (Cambridge, U.K.), Megan (Denver, CO), Alexander (Washington, DC), Elizabeth (Philadelphia, PA) and Theodore II (Easton, CT). Beverly was preceded in death by her husband, Gerhardt (on 1/23/18), in over 62 years in marriage.  She is survived by three of her siblings Barbara Nye (Bristol, CT), Charlene Zysk (Cape Cod, MA) and Thomas Redman (Beverly, MA) as well as a myriad of adored nieces and nephews. A wake from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm will be held at the O’Brien Funeral home 24 Lincoln Ave Bristol on Friday, January 18, 2019.  A wake will also be held from 10:00 am – 11:00 on Saturday, January 19th and will be followed by a Christian memorial service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Bristol, 255 West St. (www.bbgc.org). To leave an online message of condolence or to share a memory or a photo, please visit Beverly’s tribute page at www.OBRIEN-FUNERALHOME.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Beverly (Redman) Bobroske, please visit our floral store.