Bev Elaine Hermon

Beverly Elaine Hermon (Sears) was born in Des Moines, Iowa on May 24, 1933, and passed away on November 26, 2019 in Mesa, Arizona of natural causes. Bev graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1951 and from Drake University with a BA degree in Violin Performance, and a minor in Art History in1955. While in college, Bev met and married the love of her life, Robert (Bob) Hermon. They relocated to Tempe, Arizona in 1962 in order for Robert to expand his civil engineering business.

Bev was a beautiful and accomplished woman who never backed down from a challenge. She had various careers, including teacher, librarian, politician and a small business owner. Bev and Bob were committed to civic involvement. After moving to Arizona, Bev became involved in politics, through the Tempe Republican Women’s Club. She was appointed to Tempe’s first Design Review Board. Bev managed political campaigns, and then ran for the Tempe City Council in 1974. Bev served on the Council for eight years, then ran for the Arizona State Legislature, in which she served for twelve years. She ran for Congress in 1994 unsuccessfully.

Some of the organizations in which Bev was involved included: Arizona Town Hall, Tempe Board of Governors, East Valley Partnership, Tempe Rio Salado Commission and Tempe Women’s Investment Group.

Bev and two friends established the first restaurant delivery business in Tempe, Maitre’D Express.

Bev championed vulnerable individuals and children. While in the Legislature, she was instrumental in legislation which enabled the establishment of charter schools. Bev formed her government advocacy firm, BH Consulting, and lobbied for several associations. As Executive Director of the Arizona Consortium for Children with Chronic Illness, she advocated both for the rights of children with disabilities and their parents. As President of the Arizona Association of Providers for People with Disabilities, Bev led the service providers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the fight for program improvements and funding increases.

In her leisure, Bev was an avid reader, and loved cooking, gardening, classical music, old movies and interior design. She never sat still.

Bev is survived by her children, Monica Attridge (Norwood), Eric, all of Flagstaff, Arizona, R. Robert of Lenoir, North Carolina, her grandchildren, Lukas Attridge (Melanie), Paxton Attridge, and Sydney Attridge, and her great-grandchild, Simon.

A remembrance event will be held at Richardson Funeral Home, 2621 S. Rural Rd, Tempe, December 5 at 10 am. Contributions are welcome at The Hozhoni Foundation at 2133 N. Walgreen, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, or at www.hozhoni.com.

Richardson Funeral Home, Tempe, Arizona is compassionately serving the family.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Bev Hermon, please visit our flower store.

Celebration of Life

Thursday December 5th, 2019

10:00am

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