Beverly Ann Lacks, 74

Beverly Ann (Sturgis) Lacks, of Hull, passed away at home, with her family by her side, on Dec. 4 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 74.

Beverly was born in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood on April 25, 1947, and lived on the South Shore for most of her life.

The daughter of the late Richard V. Sturgis and Alice F. (Jarvis) Sturgis, she was the beloved mother of Lee T. Lacks, of South Portland, Maine, Derek M. Lacks, of Duxbury, and Jon P. Lacks of Bend, Ore.

She graduated from Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett, N.H., and earned her master’s degree in elementary education from Bridgewater State University. She taught in the Scituate public school system prior to taking a position with Friends of the Unborn in Quincy, where she helped young women and children in need for more than 20 years. She devoted her life to caring for others, be it family, friends, or members of her community.

A ray of sunshine to all who knew her, Beverly had a sweet and gentle nature that belied a fiercely resilient spirit. Even in her battle against multiple myeloma, she considered others by agreeing to take part in a number of experimental studies and clinical trials, which have provided researchers with vital information in their efforts to eradicate this rare form of cancer.

She is survived by her loving sons, Lee Todd, Derek, and Jon; her older brother, Richard P. Sturgis; her lifelong friend, Judith A. Moriarty; her nieces, Heidi Sturgis Cerullo and Rachel Sturgis Haley; and her grandchildren, Dylan O’Reilly-Lacks, Lachlan O’Reilly-Lacks, Dominick Lacks, and Jon Charles Lacks. She also leaves an extensive family of cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial and Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m., at St. Anthony’s Church in Cohasset. Interment will be at Woodside Cemetery in Cohasset.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Beverly’s name.