Obituary of Beverly Bergman Wickstrom

Beverly Bergman Wickstrom ( 8/28/1932 to 10/22/2024) grew up on a farm in central Minnesota, near Milaca in Mille Lacs County, where her father raised beef cattle and ran a small trucking business. She died at 92. She was the eldest of four children. She attended a one-room rural elementary school, high school in Milaca ad Grants Pass, Oregon, and worked her way through and graduated with a BA from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Beverly worked in human rights for 32 years, first for the Governor's Human Rights Commission, then after it was established, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, being among the fist in that work. She took a mid-career break to study landscape architecture at the University of Minnesota, but decided that she couldn't draw well enough to make a living at it. She returned to human rights work for the City of St. Paul. With a strong sense of social justice, she was courageous in difficult situations and thorough and impartial in investigations of human rights (discrimination) complaints. Education was a key component of this work, and in the course of investigations, she could inform business owners and their attorneys and others about Minnesota human rights law. She served on the board of Minnesota Civil Liberties Union.

In 1967, Beverly married David Wickstrom, residing in St. Paul near the Mississippi River. They traveled widely in North America, Scandanavia, and parts of western and southern Europe, mostly by car. In their retirement, they enjoyed hosting guests at their summer cabin on Lake Superior.

Beverly did every task with the intent of doing the very best she could, whether at work, at home refinishing furniture, or preparing a meal for guests. Perfect was good enough! She had a strong sense of design and color which was evident in her choice of clothing, selection of furniture, interior finishing of home and cabin, and Lanscaping.

Beverly was predeceased by her parents, Edith (Strom) and Wallace Bergman, and sister Lorraine (Donald) Schnartz. She is survived by her husband, David, brothers, Roland (Barbara) Bergman, Peter (Jeanne) Bergman, nephews and nieces, Wolfgang (Elizabeth) Bergman, Windsong Bergman, Bjorn Bergman, Lisa (Adam Flood) Jacobson Flood, John Bergman, Sarah Bergman, and grand nieces and grand nephews, Helena Bergman, William Bergman, Esme Flood, Owen Flood, and many friends.

A memorial gathering for Beverly was held on November 3, 2024.