Beverly June Milstead Carow (1929 – 2025)

Beverly June Milstead Carow, 95, of Front Royal, VA, passed away peacefully on February 11, 2025, at Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal.

Beverly was born on December 31, 1929, in Washington, DC, the oldest daughter of Carlton Ottis and Mabel Wooster Milstead. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Roger Carlton Milstead, and oldest son John Gottlieb Gruber, Jr.

Beverly is survived by her son, Terry Robert Gruber (Solveig Seltzer Gruber); grandchildren, Anna Elizabeth Kiefer-Douglas (Scott) and Ethan Wooster Gruber (Lauren Massari); great-granddaughter, Shelby Ruth Kiefer; bonus great-granddaughters, Riley and Molly Douglas; and many beloved grandpets. Her sister, Theda Milstead Massey (Ray), also survived her.

Beverly graduated from Oxon Hill High School in 1946 and briefly attended Western Maryland College in Westminster, MD, where she majored in music. Her early life was marked by summers spent on her grandparents’ Charles County, MD, farms and sports. She excelled in basketball and softball at Oxon Hill High, where she was known as “Curves” Milstead.

She organized a dance band during World War II and performed at the Naval Support Facility Indian Head USO. Her true passion, however, was music. Beverly was a dedicated music educator for over 60 years, teaching piano and organ in her Oxon Hill and Front Royal home studios. Several of her students went on to have professional music careers, and she kept in contact with many former students. While she took on students of all ages, she loved teaching children the most, relishing their musical growth and accomplishments.

In the 1950s, Beverly was a member of the Washington Cathedral Choral Society and studied organ under the tutelage of the Cathedral’s assistant organist, Richard Dirksen. She also served as the organist and choir director at several churches, including Rehobeth Baptist Church in Washington, DC, Corcoran Methodist Church in Temple Hills, MD, Christ Episcopal Church in Clinton, MD, Anacostia United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, and several others throughout the Washington, DC, and Front Royal communities.

She taught organ at Prince George’s Community College in the 1980s. She was also a dedicated member and officer of the Maryland State Music Teachers Association, Prince George’s Chapter, for over two decades. In addition to her musical contributions, Beverly was known for her advocacy of cranberry shrub and coleslaw parfait and her belief in the healing powers of dark chocolate, particularly its flavonoid content, which she used as an excuse to indulge in her chocolate vice.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. at Maddox Funeral Home, 105 W. Main Street, Front Royal, VA 22630.