Veramae (Beasley) Wills, 96, of Jamaica Plain, formerly of Holliston, passed away peacefully on February 13, 2016. Born in Staten Island, New York on March 30, 1919, she was the daughter of Martha (Arent) and Harold Beasley.

Her long career as a controller in the hotel industry brought her all over the east coast, including the Framingham Motor Inn, Marriott in both Boston and Rochester, NY, and Grotto Bay Beach Hotel in Bermuda where she worked for 13 years. Upon the arrival of her only grandchild, Vera moved back to Boston to be close to her family.

Being an avid reader with an appreciation for higher education, after her retirement at age 71, Vera enrolled in one course at nearby Suffolk University to pursue her lifetime desire to complete her bachelor’s degree. Over the following ten years, she continued at Suffolk and achieved a BA cum laude in History in 1998, a BS in Sociology in 2000 and, at age 81, her MA in Education. Amid her college academic schedule, she also taught English as a Second Language to patrons of the Park Street Church in Boston where she was a faithful member.

She is survived by her son Don and his wife Beth of Holliston and her granddaughter Ashley Wills of East Falmouth. They are grateful to all the loving and professional caregivers at the Sherrill House where Vera resided the past 8 years.

Vera was a quiet, independent, selfless, proud and gracious lady who lived a full and happy life, adored by her family, friends, coworkers and the nursing staff at Sherrill House. Her family will treasure their fond memories of walking with her around the Boston Common, traveling to London, St. Thomas and Bermuda and many holidays spent in Holliston and Cape Cod. Vera’s faith in God was a very important part of her life and she was always at peace anticipating when she would “receive her wings to fly to heaven.”

Graveside service will take place on Saturday, April 30th at 10:00a.m. at Lake Grove Cemetery in Holliston. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sherrill House, 1st Floor Unit, 135 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130 or to the Marjorie & Thomas Lyons Scholarship Fund at the Holliston Scholarship Foundation, P. O. Box 6786, Holliston, MA 01746.