Beverly Gayle Antonini

Beverly Gayle Antonini Wilson was born to Ouida Brewer and Wallace Wilson. Ouida was the daughter of a preacher and Wallace a railroad engineer. She had seven siblings, four having survived her. She grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She met an international student, Guido Antonini, at the University of Alabama. Guido took to Venezuela his education, his beautiful new bride, and his lifetime enthusiasm for the Crimson Tide games they subsequently watched south of the Equator with creatively rigged antennas. They settled in Guido’s hometown, La Victoria, where Guido ran the family’s soft drink business, and Beverly made life wonderful for her family and her new community. She ensured her children had a wonderful childhood, taking them on wild adventures over mountains and through the jungles. She was a fantastic cook, merging her two worlds into fantastic meals. It was common to find black beans and southern cornbread sharing the same table. Beverly learned Spanish, principally the sauciest words, which she spoke with the thickest of accents and the greatest of enthusiasm. Beverly hosted Peace Corps volunteers, organized events to help those in need, saved a drowning child, caught another child who fell from a balcony, talked parents into allowing their daughters to wear miniskirts, handed condoms to women burdened with poverty, and defended her children blindly. She lived adventurously. She left an indelible mark upon the town of La Victoria and its people. Beverly moved back to the US and worked at Neiman Marcus for many years. She retired to dedicate herself entirely to painting and her family. She was a great human, generous and empathetic. Her outer beauty was obvious but paled in comparison to her inner goodness. She is survived by her four children: Angelica Antonini, Alejandro Antonini (Jaqueline Regnault), Carolina Antonini (Dave Lauby), and Diana Antonini (Henry Gangone). She leaves behind the great legacy of five amazing grandchildren: Niajah Bennett, Isabella Antonini, Gabriella Antonini, Alessia Gangone, and Danny Lauby. Beverly requested to depart without fanfare. If you want to honor Beverly, please donate to Alzheimer’s research.