Co-founder of The Bridge House Residential Rehabilitation Program

Published April 22, 2021

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Beverly M. Spence, 78, of Winter Haven, Florida, and formerly of Holliston, Mass., passed away Saturday, February 20, 2021. Born in Stoneham, she was the daughter of the late Pauline (Robinson) and Chester Smith. She was the wife of 55 years to James Spence of Winter Haven.

Beverly was raised in North Reading and graduated from North Reading High School with the Class of 1960 where she was a member of the National Honor Society. She went on to graduate from Northeastern University with a BS in industrial engineering and also graduated from Framingham State College with an MS in food science. Together with her husband, they founded and operated The Bridge House Residential Rehabilitation Program in Framingham.

They were active members at the First Baptist Church in Holliston, and then the Wellesley Park Assembly of God in Natick and Wayland. She assisted James in pastoring Church of the Prodigal Son in Auburndale, Fla. Beverly enjoyed running neighborhood Bible clubs for children. Beverly and James lived in Holliston for 35 years before retiring to Florida in 2004.

Besides her husband, James, Beverly is survived by four children, Jeffrey Spence and his partner, Jessica Foz of Newton, Jonathan Spence and his wife, Nancy of Natick, Bethany Hadley and her husband, Scott, and Rachel Cole and her husband Scott, all of Westborough. She also leaves behind her siblings, Bradford Smith and his wife, Amy Rex Smith of Mississippi, and Barbara Glover of Florida; and five grandchildren, Luke and Grace Hadley, David and Gabriel Cole, and Lila Berg.

A funeral service was held on Saturday, March 13 at Chapel of the Cross, 160 Flanders Rd., Westborough, Mass. Interment will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Bridge House Residential Rehabilitation Program at thebridgehouse.org and/or to Glioblastoma Foundation at Glioblastomafoundation.org.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chesmore Funeral Home of Holliston.

For those who were unable to attend the service, please feel free to visit the live-stream link: https://youtu.be/iXV-VGHNvrA